‘AI Election Campaigning, Restriction’ Issue... Election Commission: "The National Assembly Should Decide Considering the Degree of Influence on Opinion Formation and Election Fairness"

[What Do You Think]
AI Election Campaigning Asked to the Central Election Commission
‘Possibility of Interfering with Voter Judgment’
Legislative and Policy Decisions Needed Considering Public Opinion Formation and Election Fairness

(Data: Screen capture from Yonhap News TV)

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The National Election Commission (NEC) has taken a somewhat reserved stance on the possibility of restricting election campaigns using deepfake technology, such as 'AI Yoon Seok-yeol' and 'Chatbot Lee Jae-myung,' stating that it is a matter to be decided "considering the extent of influence on opinion formation and the fairness of elections."

On the 12th, the NEC responded to a query from Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding concerns that election campaigns using deepfake technology could hinder voters' proper judgment. The NEC stated, "Whether to restrict election campaigns using AI is a matter for the National Assembly to decide legislatively and policy-wise, considering the extent of impact on the public's free opinion formation and the fairness of elections."

The NEC added, "We plan to strengthen monitoring of the patterns and trends of election campaigns using AI and will actively support related legislative discussions." While it is not possible to preemptively assume the misuse potential of deepfake technology, since it can influence voters' candidate selection decisions, additional legislative discussions for specific standards are necessary, thus passing the responsibility to the National Assembly.

Deepfake is a term combining deep learning, an AI technology that learns autonomously based on accumulated data, and fake, meaning false or manipulated content. It refers to content synthesized from actual videos, photos, or audio of individuals, making it difficult to distinguish authenticity. Recently, Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party candidate, released 'AI Yoon Seok-yeol,' an AI character with the same appearance and voice as candidate Yoon, answering various questions, which became a hot topic. Chatbot Lee Jae-myung and AI Kim Dong-yeon also gained attention accordingly.

In this regard, the more critical side is the Democratic Party. Forty-four Democratic Party lawmakers, including Jeong Pil-mo, stated at a press conference last month, "If the basis for judgment is false and manipulated information when voters assess candidates and parties from various perspectives to exercise their precious voting rights, it undermines the foundation of a democratic election system that should be fair."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lawmaker Lee Hae-sik also proposed a related bill (Partial Amendment to the Public Official Election Act). It calls for restricting election campaigns that manipulate the images of candidates or prospective candidates using deepfake technology. The amendment stipulates that "election campaigns must not include false audio, recollections, or video information made to appear as if the candidate or prospective candidate actually spoke or acted," and "violations shall be punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 6 million won."

Meanwhile, the NEC stated in the 'Deepfake Video Related Legal Operation Standards' published on its website on the 11th that ▲ if a third party produces deepfake videos without the consent of the candidate or party, and ▲ if an AI avatar spreads false information about an opposing candidate, it can be punished as a violation of election law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.