Synthetic media is reshaping Australia's information environment, undermining trust and creating new risks for human rights and democratic participation, according to a new report released today by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said that while AI-generated images, videos and audio provide new opportunities for creativity and expression, they also create new risks for individuals and society.
'Synthetic media is becoming a powerful tool for manipulation. It is increasingly being used to target and harm individuals, particularly women, and can distort public debate by making it harder for all Australians to know what information they can trust,' Commissioner Finlay said.
The report, Breaking Trust: How Synthetic Media is undermining Democracy and Human Rights in Australia, examines how this technology is affecting human rights and eroding confidence in democracy.
The report finds synthetic media has become a low-cost and highly scalable tool for influencing public debate. It can be used to discredit political candidates, mislead voters and undermine confidence in elections. Its speed and reach make harmful content difficult to identify and stop before damage is done.
When people can no longer trust what they see and hear online, it becomes harder to make informed decisions, participate in public discussions and hold institutions to account.
'Democracy depends on people having access to reliable information and being able to participate in public life free from manipulation and intimidation,' Commissioner Finlay said.
'Synthetic media can distort public debate and erode the shared understanding of facts that democratic decision-making relies on.'
The report also highlights how such content can amplify existing prejudice and discrimination. Women, LGBTIQA+ people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and others have been targeted through harassment, humiliation and disinformation campaigns.
As synthetic media becomes easier to produce and distribute, its influence is increasingly shaped by online platforms and algorithms that determine what content people see.
Commissioner Finlay said Australia needs a coordinated response involving government, technology companies, media organisations, educators and civil society.
'Australia has important safeguards in areas such as electoral integrity, online safety and defamation, but these protections need to keep pace with rapidly changing technology,' Commissioner Finlay said.
'Practical measures such as content labelling, metadata standards and stronger digital and media literacy can help people identify deceptive content and make informed choices online.'
'The risks are already here. We should not wait for a serious failure of public trust or an election disrupted by deceptive synthetic media before taking action.'
'By taking action now, we can protect people's dignity, strengthen democratic participation and build a safer and more trustworthy information environment for everyone.'
