The US presidential election is just two months away, and we are already seeing AI influence messaging and the types of information people see

In response, Google has announced that it will place safeguards and restrictions on all of its generated AI products, including Gems, Gemini image generation, search AI summaries, and YouTube summaries created by live chat AI

In late 2023, Google announced an initial project to protect Gemini by restricting queries related to the upcoming election In its blog post, it announced several other election-related features to help people get reliable information, including content labels, digital watermarks, and polling places on maps

According to Google's latest message, the company is limiting its AI product by making it unable to respond to election-related queries, while acknowledging that AI can make mistakes

“Especially in federal and statewide elections, where users expect reliable, up-to-date information on topics such as current candidates, the voting process, and election results, this new technology can make mistakes as it learns and as news There is a risk,” wrote Laurie Richardson, Google's vice president of trust and safety

Disinformation and hacking played a key role in the 2020 presidential election And it's only getting worse as AI tools become more prevalent among tech companies in the meantime

“Disinformation is a threat to any election, but the rise of artificial intelligence tools, especially those that can replicate or mimic human content with near-perfect accuracy, makes it more important than ever to have protection in place,” Tom's Guide AI editor Ryan Morrison, AI editor of Tom's Guide 'These guardrails are a logical move for Google, and I suspect every AI lab is copying them to some degree I also think that after the election is over and there is less risk, we will see a lot of next-generation AI products coming out”

In addition to the new restrictions, Google Search is also getting the ability to help find information about registering to vote and aggregated resources from state election offices YouTube, meanwhile, is adding several features to help viewers find “reliable information” about candidates and their parties The video platform will also begin displaying reminders on where and how to vote

The company is adding badges to official government apps, which it hopes will remain after the election Most of these features should remain whether or not the election is taking place to prevent misinformation on the platform