Sixty-seven people were killed when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided mid-air with a U.S. Army helicopter on Thursday (Jan 30). The man who sparked nationwide protests in Sweden over his burning of the Quran was assassinated on Wednesday (Jan 29). US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance programmes, resulting in cuts to services for refugees from war-ravaged Myanmar on Thursday (Jan 30).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has dual functions in the elections, it increases voter engagement and at the same time can lead to the spread of misinformation and cyber vulnerabilities. This technology can generate deepfakes and robocalls, that manipulate electoral narratives and incidents have occurred in multiple countries including those in the U.S, Slovakia, India, etc. Despite this AI has also managed to improve political interaction as seen in Pakistan and Belarus where opposition figures could connect better with voters. Experts stress on the significance of creating regulations that balances the freedom of speech and the prohibitions of the harmful practices of AI. Tech companies are urged to self-regulate whereas digital literacy initiatives may provide the voters with the ability to identify a reliable source. The changing relations between technology and politics demand proactive policymaking to protect the democratic processes and to embody the responsible use of AI in the forthcoming elections.
The IAS Gazette is a news site run by undergraduates from the Singapore Institute of Management’s International Affairs Society (IAS). Founded in 2018, it traces its roots to The Capital, a now defunct bimonthly magazine previously under the IAS.
