The year 2024 is set to be a significant one for elections worldwide, with the European Union holding parliamentary elections this summer and approximately half of European countries preparing for national or regional votes. As this democratic exercise unfolds, the rapid advancement of generative AI has raised questions about its potential impact on elections and the broader information ecosystem. Concerns have emerged about the technology’s capacity to generate diverse content at high speed and its potential use in spreading disinformation.
Microsoft’s Announcement
In light of these developments, Microsoft has announced the expansion of its Content Integrity tools private preview to political parties and campaigns in the European Union, as well as news organizations around the world. The company stated that the tools are designed to help organizations inform voters about the origin of the content they encounter online.
The Content Integrity tools allow organizations to attach secure “Content Credentials” to their original media, providing information about who created or published the content, where and when it was created, whether it was generated by AI, and if the media has been edited or altered since its creation. By supporting the widely adopted Content Credentials standard, Microsoft aims to make these tools accessible and interoperable across platforms.