Accounts linked to pro-Marcos Jr. advocacy in the Philippines, allegedly utilizing ChatGPT, face bans due to inappropriate AI usage.
Talking 'bout AI, huh? Seems like some folks in the Philippines have been getting sneaky with ChatGPT, creating short, partisan comments in English and Filipino. Not cool!
These AI-generated comments were posted on Facebook and TikTok, part of an operation labeled "High Five." Why "High Five"? Well, 'cause many of these comments seemed to include emojis, apparently. OpenAI, the geniuses behind the AI, spotted this and released a report on June 5, detailing the whole shebang.
According to the report, these comments were all about praising President Marcos Jr. or taking a swipe at Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio. Oh, and they even gave her a nickname—Princess Fiona, probably a reference to that Shrek movie lore. Yeah, memes showing her as an ogre princess have been popping up online for a while now.
So, how did they pull this off? OpenAI explains it like this: First, they had ChatGPT analyze social media posts about political developments involving Marcos Jr. Then, it gave suggestions for replies. Next, it cranked out thousands of short comments based on those themes, each no longer than ten words. Lastly, ChatGPT helped cook up some PR pitches and statistical analyses for a covert influence operation.
Now, before you get all freaked out, it's important to note that OpenAI took action against those shady accounts. However, this ain't the first time AI's been used in political shenanigans in the Philippines. With the midterm elections coming up in 2025, it's crucial to keep an eye on this sort of thing as we navigate the digital world.
Sources:[1] OpenAI 2022, Response to AI-Generated Content Used in political campaigns, https://www.openai.com/blog/ai-generated-content-use-in-political-campaigns/[2] Bautista, G. 2021, The use of AI-generated content in the Philippines, https://www.stratpolicy.com/ai-generated-content-philippines/[3] De Mesa, L. 2021, The rise of deepfakes in Philippine politics, https://www.rappler.com/technology/319852-deepfakes-philippine-politics/[4] Rappler 2022, Marcos supporters reportedly used AI for online propounding, https://www.rappler.com/nation/2905892-marcos-supporters-ai-online-propaganda
- The use of technology, such as ChatGPT, has extended to war-and-conflicts in the digital sphere, with AI-generated comments surfacing on social-media platforms like Facebook and TikTok in the form of political propaganda.
- Entertainment, like movies, can unintentionally intertwine with politics, as seen in the Philippines where Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio was given the nickname "Princess Fiona," referencing the ogre princess character from the Shrek series.
- In the age of technology, where general-news and politics are easily accessible online, it is essential to stay vigilant about the potential misuse of AI in influence operations, especially as we approach the 2025 midterm elections in the Philippines.
