AI researchers are trying to combat how AI can be used to lie and deceive

Among researchers studying how AI can be used to lie and manipulate the world, there's a feeling that 2017 has been the calm before the storm. The past few years have brought example after example from research labs of how AI can generate videos of politicians saying literally anything, or potentially trick self-driving cars into speeding past stop signs. But nobody, to the field's knowledge, has actually used the technology for malicious purposes. In an effort to get in front of this perceived threat, hundreds of AI researchers will gather today (Dec. Tim Hwang, director of ethics and governance at the Reed Hoffman-backed AI Initiative and co-organizer of the workshop, says he realized this area needed more attention after a 2016 research project called Face2Face showed that AI could be used to realistically imitate politicians like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.