Google restricting election-related responses on AI products ahead of 2024

Google plans to restrict the types of election-related questions its generative artificial intelligence (AI) products, including the AI-powered chatbot Bard, will return responses to ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The tech giant will begin restricting responses to such queries early next year “out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic,” it said in a blog post Tuesday.

“In 2024, we will continue our efforts to safeguard our platforms, help people make informed decisions, surface high-quality information to voters, and equip campaigns with best-in-class security,” Google said. “We’ll do this work with an increased focus on the role artificial intelligence (AI) might play.” 

“Like any emerging technology, AI presents new opportunities as well as challenges,” the post continued. “In particular, our AI models will enhance our abuse-fighting efforts, including our ability to enforce our policies at scale. But we are also preparing for how it can change the misinformation landscape.”

Google said it is testing Bard and its generative AI-powered search functions for safety risks, including cybersecurity vulnerabilities and misinformation, while also experimenting with using large language models to build “faster and more adaptable enforcement systems.”

“Early results indicate that this will enable us to remain nimble and take action even more quickly when new threats emerge,” the company said.

Election advertisers are also now required to disclose when their ads contain “realistic synthetic content that’s been digitally altered or generated,” and YouTube creators will soon need to acknowledge when they use altered or synthetic content as well, Google noted.