On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted against a motion by Raphaël Mahaim (of the Green Party), with 111 votes to 70. The Left and the Green Liberals supported the motion.
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers many opportunities, but certain forms pose significant risks to personal privacy, intimacy and democracy, Mahaim warned.
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How deepfakes are impacting our vision of reality
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Two Swiss deepfake experts explain why it is so easy to fool the human eye and spread disinformation.
He was particularly concerned about deepfakes, which involve manipulating voice and images to create false content. “The consequences can be dramatic,” he noted, pointing to the dangers in areas like pornography, banking and electoral processes.
Mahaim called for preventive measures, including mandatory labelling of fake content and stricter bans on certain practices. He believed this labelling requirement wouldn’t infringe on artistic expression, satire or freedom of speech.
However, the Swiss government, which opposed the motion, prevailed. Albert Rösti, the communications minister, argued that existing criminal and civil laws, including those protecting privacy, already cover deepfakes.
He argued against creating specific regulations for deepfakes, noting that broader AI regulation is already in the works.
Rösti also mentioned that the draft regulation for online platforms, which was due for consultation a year ago, is now ready. Although the government recently postponed the discussion, Rösti assured that the draft will be released soon.
Translated from French with DeepL/sp
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