Meta to form 'Operations Centre' to combat spread of deceptive AI in EU polls

Meta (formerly Facebook) has announced the activation of an Elections Operations Centre to combat the spread of misleading artificial intelligence content in the EU’s 2024 Parliament elections. The move aims to identify threats and implement mitigations in real-time across their platforms.

The company will bring experts from various departments to work on combating misinformation, tackling influence operations, and countering risks related to the abuse of AI technologies. Meta has the largest fact-checking network and is expanding it with new partners in Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia.

“We have committed to taking a responsible approach to new technologies like GenAI, and signed on to the tech accord to combat the spread of deceptive AI content in elections,” said Marco Pancini, Head of EU Affairs at Meta. The EU Parliament elections are scheduled from June 6 to June 9.

Meta has invested over $20 billion in safety and security since 2016 and has a global team of around 40,000 people working in this area. This includes 15,000 content reviewers who operate in over 70 languages, covering all 24 official EU languages to ensure the integrity of content on their platforms.

The company’s efforts aim to ensure fairness and accuracy in the upcoming EU Parliament elections, with a focus on combating misinformation and ensuring the transparency and security of the electoral process. By leveraging a combination of technology and human expertise, Meta aims to create a safer and more reliable online environment for political discourse.