Arizona secretary of state says AI hoax knowledge still needs to improve before elections

PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has been training workers on AI hoax technology for months now but believes they, and the public, still need to improve their knowledge ahead of the upcoming elections.

Fontes told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Chris and Joe Show on Friday that the rapidly evolving technology is making discernment difficult.

“This is why we’ve been doing this AI training,” Fontes said. “This is why we’ve been creating these deepfakes, because I want my elections folks to be so used to looking at this that they’re not excited and confused about it anymore.”

Throughout 2024, Fontes’ office has been training workers on how to identify and not be duped by deepfakes and other AI technology.

Voice replication is one of the most popular ways AI is used in a malicious manner. His office conducted a “tabletop exercise” in January where elections officials and law enforcement from the local, statewide and national levels were run through different scenarios they could face this election season.

The primary, set for July 30, is closing in.

“This is why we’re doing these preparations,” Fontes said. “This is something that I take that seriously, just as seriously as we’re taking our live shooter drills.”

Even so, Fontes doesn’t believe AI is inherently evil. The troubles come when it falls into the hands of “bad actors.”

“All of our society operates on faith,” Fontes said. “The fact that there are some people trying to destroy the civic faith that we have in one another is the big problem.

“AI is an amplifier of that when it’s badly used and when malicious actors utilize it.”

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