Challenges for Workforce
While Generative Artificial Intelligence is a tool that can be used for positive social and economic growth, it also poses several challenges to industries and society in the Commonwealth of Virginia and across the country. While the precise threats of these new technologies are still relatively unknown, generative artificial intelligence and artificial general intelligence have the potential to harm American workers in unprecedented ways. AI will certainly help industries become more efficient, but this may come at the cost of working-class Virginians. Some employers are also encouraging employees to learn how to use AI and much of the emphasis is being placed on AI and worker coexistence, though many workers continue to perceive AI as a job threat. While workers may lose specific skills to workplace AI, researchers anticipate that workers will retain critical skills because coexistence requires workers’ technical, human and conceptual skills. Yet, there are still concerns that certain positions may be replaced by artificial intelligence, requiring workforce transitions for hard-working Virginians. This is nothing new, as technological advancements have historically replaced or reinvented some portion of American jobs. However, if artificial intelligence remains unchecked by the legislature, there are myriad unknowns regarding exactly how, when, which kind and how many jobs AI could absorb. Only 23% of all American workers are said to have a job that is decidedly “low exposure” to AI, and therefore do not face a foreseeable or predictable risk in the job market. Meanwhile, as many as 68% of American jobs have been estimated to be of substantial AI exposure. With such an elementary understanding of the implications of such fast-paced developments, legislation is paramount to better comprehend how AI will impact job markets and protect American workers.
While the artificial intelligence industry should still have the freedom to grow and innovate, there must be a middle ground that mitigates harm to hard working Viriginians. This technology is incredibly fast-growing and unpredictable, meaning there may be unknown risks and consequences. Legislation regarding AI and the workforce is essential to ensure that the power of this new technology is not left unchecked.
Politics and Elections
Generative Artificial Intelligence technologies are also impacting politics and elections. Technologies hold a great deal of potential for politics and governance, especially for state and local candidates, officials and governments by improving opportunities for communicating with constituencies and allowing for greater public input in policy and decision making processes.
Online misinformation, malinformation, disinformation and propaganda are now permanent fixtures in the media ecosystem. However, the way that actors create and distribute that information is changing and with advances in artificial intelligence, actors can now synthetically generate information in ways that mimic the style and substance of human-created news stories. According to some experts, 99 to 99.9 percent of internet content will be AI-generated by 2025 to 2030. Most concerning, research has shown that individuals are largely incapable of distinguishing between AI- and human-generated text. Furthermore, information can be targeted in ways that will influence and manipulate behavior, with significant implications for politics.
However, Gen AI is also contributing to the evolving nature of threats to elections in the United States and other democracies around the world. Some 65 elections across 54 countries are expected in 2024. The proliferation of visual-centric social media platforms and the advancement of AI technologies for creating sophisticated multimedia content, are poised to become new tools in the arsenal of foreign influencers. This environment could facilitate the reuse of existing assets by foreign actors and potentially blend hacking with strategic information leaks to influence public opinion and media coverage of elections. Online media can also lead to offline “real world” incitement of violence and hate speech and coordinated violence before, during or after voting that targets voters, poll workers, election officials, candidates, party members, and social groups. With the lack of federal regulation, protecting the security and integrity of elections is one of the most critical actions the Virginia legislature can take. Several states have passed (California, Texas, Minnesota, and Washington) or introduced (New York, New Jersey, and Michigan) laws to either ban or mandate disclosure of media manipulation that might deceive the public about candidates for political office or otherwise influence the outcome of an election.
According to a November 2023 Microsoft Threat Assessment report, there are significant threats to the 2024 U.S. presidential election posed by multiple authoritarian states, marking a notable escalation of interference and influence operations. Russia has a longstanding strategy of leveraging cyberattacks, hack-and-leak operations, state-sponsored media, and covert social media campaigns to influence foreign audiences and to promote Kremlin-friendly political narratives. Russia is expected to remain the most formidable and committed actor, with its activities likely influenced by broader geopolitical considerations, such as the conflict in Ukraine. Iran’s tactics, though historically less sophisticated than Russia's, are also evolving, with efforts to impersonate American entities online to incite domestic divisions and discord. Iran may focus on promoting chaos, especially in response to the recent regional ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Meanwhile, China, which has traditionally focused on regional influence and dominance, is also increasing engagement in global disinformation campaigns and growing its capabilities to do so. Beyond the primary actors of Russia, Iran, and China, there is an increasing number of countries developing sophisticated cyber-enabled influence capabilities.
Thus, there is a critical need for increased vigilance and proactive countermeasures to address emerging threats. Any legislative approaches should include facilitating strengthened defensive operations, including the expansion of detection and response capabilities. This will require public-private partnerships to collaborate on safeguarding democratic processes and preserving the integrity of democratic elections. Either through legislation or executive order, the Virginia Department of Elections should be directed to produce materials and resources for local election officials on how to address mis-, dis- and malinformation.