As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionize the digital landscape, it brings both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges to the public. Among the most pressing, is the rise of abusive AI-generated content, or synthetic media, which is increasingly being used for fraud, manipulation, and exploitation, and in a year of global election supercycle this becomes a significant concern as we work to combat deep fake election propaganda and fraud. This fireside chat will feature Teresa Hutson, Vice President of Tech and Corporate Responsibility, as she discusses insights from Microsoft’s latest white paper on the modernized legislation and strategies required to protect the public, especially the most vulnerable populations from synthetic media misuse, Among them, implementing a strong safety architecture, advancing media provenance and watermarking techniques, and fostering robust collaboration across industry, government, and civil society. How can technology companies proactively safeguard their platforms against the spread of harmful AI-generated content? What role should governments play in regulating synthetic media, and how can they ensure these regulations keep pace with technological advancements? And how can society balance the immense potential of AI with the need to protect individuals from its potential dangers?

Microsoft is a 2024 Concordia Annual Summit Core Programming Partner.