Digital rights advocate says we need to act now to protect elections from AI

What they're saying: "We can't sit and wait for Congress to act on this," she said.

• "We are seeing the biggest scale back in investment in trust and safety in social media platforms since 2016."
• Companies need to do the exact opposite and boost their trust and safety teams given rampant misinformation and disinformation, she added.

Threat level: Reeve Givens zeroed in on how to tackle deepfakes, noting that while "this isn't a new playbook" the problem demands action from generative AI companies, social media platforms and campaigns and candidates themselves.

• "Legislation is nice but we need to look to the companies and election officials to start acting right now," said Reeve Givens.

Of note: Reeve Givens also pointed out that the Biden administration's AI executive order's "ambitious" elements — engaging with long-term safety risks like threats to critical infrastructure or people's rights — will soon meet the reality of its deadlines and execution.

• "We want the agencies to be bold and really live up to the mandates of the EO," she said, and ultimately shape private sector norms.
• The other piece is how this EO survives beyond the Biden administration, she said: "It really matters that the norms that are being developed aren't just ideas floating around on paper, but really become the way of doing business."