New York City Mayor Eric Adams has employed artificial intelligence to create robocalls in which his voice is altered to speak languages he doesn't actually know, raising ethical concerns about the government's use of this rapidly advancing technology. On Monday, the mayor informed journalists about the robocalls, which have been sent out in languages like Mandarin and Yiddish to promote city hiring events. However, these calls do not disclose that the mayor only speaks English and that AI technology was used to generate them. "People frequently approach me on the streets and exclaim, 'I didn't realize you spoke Mandarin!'" said Adams, a Democrat. "Through these robocalls, we aim to directly address the diverse population of New Yorkers by utilizing different languages. " These calls emerge at a time when regulators are grappling with how to navigate the ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence. Deepfake videos and audio, capable of making it appear as though anyone is doing anything, present challenges concerning misinformation. In response to Adams' robocalls, the watchdog organization Surveillance Technology Oversight Project criticized this unethical use of AI, considering it misleading to city residents. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the organization, stated, "The mayor is essentially creating deepfakes of himself. This is not only deeply unethical but also a disturbingly conceited project funded by taxpayer money. Using AI to deceive New Yorkers into believing he speaks languages he doesn't is undeniably Orwellian. While we should indeed provide announcements in all native languages of New Yorkers, these deepfakes are simply eerie. " As the use of artificial intelligence and deepfakes continues to grow, especially in the realm of politics and election misinformation, there have been calls for increased regulation from both governmental and major media entities. Google became the first major tech company to announce that it would implement new labels on deceptive AI-generated political advertisements, which could feature fake voices or actions of political candidates for the sake of misinformation. Facebook and its parent company Meta do not have a specific policy addressing AI-generated political ads, but do have guidelines against "faked, manipulated, or transformed" audio and imagery for the purpose of spreading misinformation. A bipartisan bill in the U. S. Senate aims to ban "materially deceptive" deepfakes related to federal candidates, with exceptions for parody and satire. In recent weeks, numerous technology companies have showcased AI tools capable of synthesizing a person's speech in another language, making it seem as though they are speaking fluently in that language. For instance, in September, music streaming service Spotify introduced an AI feature that translates podcasts into multiple languages using the podcaster's own voice.

More recently, startup ElevenLabs unveiled a voice translation tool in October that can quickly convert spoken content into another language while preserving the original speaker's voice. Adams defended his use of AI, addressing ethical concerns by explaining that his office aims to communicate with New Yorkers in the languages they understand. "I have one primary responsibility: running the city, and I need to be able to connect with people in the languages they speak. I am more than willing to do so, " he stated. "So, to all, all I can say is 'ni hao, ' which means 'hello' in Mandarin. " © 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Ad Choices FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U. S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions.