Majority of Brits fear AI could have ‘devastating consequences for humanity’ and want more regulation, poll finds
THE majority of Brits are afraid AI could have “devastating consequences for humanity”, according to a poll.
Two thirds want more regulation to ensure there is greater control over the rapidly advancing technology, research shows.
Rapidly improving Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have “dire consequences for both humanity and mental wellbeing” if more is not done to curb it, according to Chris Holbrook.
He founded polling company Find Out Now, which quizzed more than 2,000 Brits.
It found more than 80 per cent think manipulated images worsen body image issues – particularly among middle-aged women.
It comes as sports brand Asics called out AI for creating an unrealistic body image.
The technology can change images so people have no body fat, chiselled jaws, muscles or even 12-pack abs.
And Brits said the pictures made them feel unfit, inferior, unattractive or insecure – with some saying they felt less motivated to exercise as a result.
Some 79 per cent of those polled think the AI industry needs to be more closely regulated.
And two thirds say pictures and videos should be authenticated on social media – so users are told if they have been doctored.
Social media site Frankli uses tamper-proof technology to give irrevocable proof photographs and videos are real.
It commissioned the poll to convince other technology giants to make sure images and video are real.
Meanwhile, an investigation has revealed cyber criminals are selling deepfake revenge porn on the dark web for up to £15,800 for a minute-long video.
AI-powered systems like Stable Diffusion or Midjourney, which translate text prompts into pictures, can be used to create stunning images.
But these image generators can also create hyper-realistic pornographic imagery.
And face-swapping technology is able to digitally manipulate pornography so it looks like people are present in videos they never filmed – putting Brits at more risk of revenge porn.
These pornographic deepfakes can be sold for between £240 and £15,870-a-minute, according to cybersecurity giant Kaspersky.
AI is so advanced it can also create images of humans who have never actually existed.
Some 21 per cent of 18-24 year olds said they have been fooled by a deepfake.
And 84 per cent of Brits think technology firms should slow down development of these systems.
Frankli founder Dr. Mansoor Ahmed-Rengers said companies need to “act with speed” to control the use of AI technology because “our future is at stake”.
He added: “These poll results illustrate the level of the public’s fear of AI and the speed of its development.
“We see a clear majority worried about the consequences of the technology with 66% of respondents calling for authentication of pictures and videos on social media.
“Eight out of ten people believe manipulated content can have negative effects on mental health and body image and that is why we need to act with speed.
“Our future is at stake here. It cannot be overstated.”
Frankli’s technology, invented by its umbrella company OpenOrigins, allows the app to view the exact location and time images are captured.
The moment the images are recorded they are stored securely on a tamper-proof distributed database so they can’t be manipulated.