In the wake of several incidents involving deepfake videos, where public figures such as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have been manipulated, the presidium of the Danish Parliament has decided to convene all party group leaders for an important meeting. The meeting, scheduled to take place next week, will focus on the use of artificial intelligence in political material and aim to establish a common understanding and possibly a voluntary agreement on responsible use of the technology. This decision comes in response to both the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti) and Liberal Alliance utilizing advanced AI technology to create videos showing the Prime Minister and other politicians speaking on topics or in situations that never took place. These incidents have raised concerns about the technology’s potential to undermine trust in politicians and democratic processes.
The Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade, emphasized in a press release the importance of protecting democracy from the risks that technological manipulation can bring. “We all have a responsibility to safeguard democracy and ensure that people can trust what we as politicians say and do,” he said. The meeting will discuss how to ensure that technology is not abused to create false narratives that may be difficult to refute or disprove. It has become a central concern for the Danish political parties to strike a balance where technology can be used for innovation and improved communication, without compromising truth and public trust.
It is expected that the meeting will result in clear guidelines or an agreement to ensure that all political parties commit to using artificial intelligence in an ethically responsible manner.