AI in a big election year

Hi folks, it’s Brad reporting from Davos, Switzerland. AI and elections are the talk of the World Economic Forum. But first...Three things y [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( [by Brad Stone]( Hi folks, it’s Brad reporting from Davos, Switzerland. AI and elections are the talk of the World Economic Forum. But first... Three things you need to know today: • Hezbollah stepped up [cyberattacks on Israel]( • John Deere tractors will [support SpaceX’s Starlink]( • US Supreme Court rejected [Apple’s Epic appeal]( Vote or AI This is a big year for democracy. Nearly half the world’s population will have the option to vote in a [national election in 2024](. The last time many of these countries went to the polls, there was no ChatGPT. So these are two topics that keep coming up on panels and side events on the promenade here this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Often the questions are about how one will affect the other. I spoke with some of the leaders in artificial intelligence at the [Bloomberg House at Davos]( on Tuesday. They all said they took the threat of AI on elections seriously but were split on the likelihood of disruption. Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella somewhat downplayed the risks. “It’s not like this is the first election where disinformation, or misinformation, and election interference is going to be a real challenge that we all have to tackle,” he said. Later in the day OpenAI Inc. CEO Sam Altman echoed that sentiment but expressed more uncertainty. “I don’t think this will be the same as before,” he said. “It’s always a mistake to try to fight the last war.” Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates predicted the “bad guys will be more productive” with AI, speaking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua. Meanwhile, Salesforce Inc. CEO Marc Benioff suggested social media poses a [bigger risk]( to the democratic process than AI does. “Regulators have not done their job,” he said. OpenAI, which counts Microsoft as its largest investor, is “quite focused,” Altman said, on reducing the potential for political misuse of its tools, such as ChatGPT and Dall-E. Altman and Nadella attended a meeting in May with US Vice President Kamala Harris to [discuss AI risks](. OpenAI will [soon release for testing]( a tool that can identify AI-generated content and will digitally watermark material generated by Dall-E, the startup said Monday. And it reiterated that use of OpenAI models for political campaigning isn’t allowed. “Our mind is not at ease,” Altman said. “We’re going to have to watch this incredibly closely this year.” As for how politics will impact AI, Altman was less concerned. “I believe that America is going to be fine no matter what happens in this election. I believe that AI is going to be fine no matter what happens after this election,” he said. OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs, Anna Makanju, said she’s encouraged by proposed regulation being put forward by President Joe Biden and the European Union. “What has struck me and has been really remarkable is that the conversation around AI has remained very bipartisan,” she said. Altman agreed, sort of: “Both parties hate it.” —[Brad Stone](mailto:bstone12@bloomberg.net), with Isabella Ward The big story Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat cited her experience with breast cancer as one that informed her optimism about the “extraordinary” [potential of AI in health care](, she said at the Bloomberg House at Davos. One to watch [Watch the Bloomberg Technology TV interview]( about AI with Microsoft Executive Vice President Yusuf Mehdi. Get fully charged Canada cracked down on research partnerships that could result in sensitive technology information being [transferred to China, Iran or Russia](. JPMorgan led an investment valuing the quantum computing company [Quantinuum at $5 billion](. Chip-design company Synopsys agreed to buy software developer Ansys for about $34 billion, [one of the biggest deals in the last year](. Australia is considering mandatory restrictions on [high-risk AI use](. Elon Musk celebrated the first video posted natively to X by [MrBeast, one of YouTube’s biggest stars](. More from Bloomberg Get Bloomberg Tech weeklies in your inbox: - [Cyber Bulletin]( for coverage of the shadow world of hackers and cyber-espionage - [Game On]( for reporting on the video game business - [Power On]( for Apple scoops, consumer tech news and more - [Screentime]( for a front-row seat to the collision of Hollywood and Silicon Valley - [Soundbite]( for reporting on podcasting, the music industry and audio trends - [Q&AI]( for answers to all your questions about AI Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? 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