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A new Adobe study reveals that misinformation, deepfakes, and election interference are major concerns for Americans going into the 2024 presidential vote.
Adobe's Authenticity in the Age of AI study asked 2,000+ Americans whether they think AI and misinformation pose a problem this election cycle. It finds that 94% of those surveyed believe misinformation will affect the presidential election this fall; 85% believe that election misinformation has spiked in the past three months; and nearly half admit they've fallen for misleading or fake posts in that same time period.
"The proliferation of misinformation has eroded public trust. Without a way for to verify the authenticity of digital content, we’re approaching a breaking point where the public will no longer believe the things they see and hear online, even when they are true," Adobe VP of Global Public Policy Jace Johnson said in a statement.
Generative AI tools are also a part of the problem. Eight-seven percent of respondents say the AI boom has made it harder to discern whether something online is real or not, and the majority have doubted whether an online image on news sites is legit. Earlier this year, Google DeepMind research found that political deepfakes are the most common malicious use case of AI tools.
But an overwhelming majority want to know more about how the media they see online has been altered or edited. Consumers want attribution details on images and videos, especially election-related content.
Misinformation has also caused Americans to change their habits, with nearly half of respondents in the Adobe study saying they've ditched a social media platform (like X/Twitter or Facebook) due to the rise of fake content on it.
The study also suggests the US public wants stricter regulations around online misinformation— 89% want social media platforms to establish stricter misinformation rules, and 74% think the US government is not doing enough to stop misinformation's spread.
Overall, many Americans are calling for increased transparency around image and video origins as concerns mount around the explosion of AI-generated falsehoods and misinformation online.