More than half of IT professionals have said they fear deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI) could affect the result of the general election, according to new research. A survey of workers in the sector by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, found 65% said they are concerned an election result could be affected by misleading AI-generated content. The study found that 92% believe political parties should agree to be transparent and declare how and when they use AI in their campaigns, and that more technical and policy solutions need to be forthcoming to address the issue. Last year, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan told MPs the Government is working with social media platforms on measures to combat deepfakes, saying “robust mechanisms” will be in place by the time of the general election, which is due by January 2025. According to the poll of 1,200 IT professionals, public education and technical tools such as watermarking and labelling of AI content are seen as the most effective measures for limiting the impact of deepfakes. A number of senior politicians, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have been the subjects of deepfakes in the...