Meta says generative AI had muted impact on global elections this year

The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, June 14, 2023. (The Canadian Press / AP Photo / Thibault Camus)

Despite widespread concern that generative AI could interfere with major elections around the globe this year, the technology had limited impact across Meta Platforms' META.O apps, the tech company said on Tuesday.

Coordinated networks of accounts seeking to spread propaganda or false content largely failed to build a significant audience on Facebook and Instagram or use AI effectively, Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, told a press briefing. The volume of AI-generated misinformation was low and Meta was able to quickly label or remove the content, he said.

The snapshot from Meta comes as misinformation experts say AI content has so far failed to significantly sway public opinion, as notable deepfake videos and audio, including of President Joe Biden's voice, have been quickly debunked.

Coordinated networks of accounts attempting to spread false content are increasingly shifting their activities to other social media and messaging apps with fewer safety guardrails, or are operating their own websites in order to stay online, Clegg said.

Even as Meta said it was able to take down about 20 covert influence operations on its platform this year, the company has retreated from more stringent content moderation it employed during the previous U.S. presidential election in 2020.

The company heard feedback from users who complained that their content had been removed unfairly, and Meta will aim to protect free expression and be more precise in enforcing its rules, Clegg said.

"We feel we probably overdid it a bit," he said. "While we've been really focusing on reducing prevalence of bad content, I think we also want to redouble our efforts to improve the precision and accuracy with which we act on our rules."

The move is also in response to push-back from some Republican lawmakers who have questioned what they say is censorship of certain viewpoints on social media. In an August letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted some content take-downs the company made in response to pressure from the Biden administration.

(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Austin; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )