USC holds election cybersecurity AI roundtable during RNC in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism held a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, July 16 to discuss the impact of generative artificial intelligence on election cybersecurity.

Launched in 2016, the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative is a non-partisan independent project, aimed to help protect campaigns and elections, a statement said. 

Experts said this year, more than 80 national elections are scheduled to take place that will directly affect an estimated 4.2 billion people or 52% of the globe's population, in the largest election cycle the world will see until 2048.

One of the main takeaways was determining what it takes to protect elections from artificial intelligence as it continues to rapidly develop each day.

Now, the software is able to create fake images and videos, and even replicate voices -- something that some believe could threaten to discredit real campaign messages, especially as cyberattacks can be cheap and easy.

That's why many are warning voters to stay vigilant about the messaging they are consuming, as causing doubt on what if they see is real is very effective when it comes to raising questions about democracy.

Staying vigilant could mean adding two-factor authentication onto accounts, changing passwords, not having the same password for accounts, and protecting data on electronic devices.

For more information on AI, check out CBS 58's Eye on AI series.