A tide of Artificial Intelligence-fuelled political disinformation has prompted alarm over its potential to manipulate voters as the United States presidential race heats up.
A “deepfake” video parodying Vice President Kamala Harris, a manipulated expletive-laden clip of President Joe Biden and a doctored image of Donald Trump being arrested, are some of the instances that have raised concern.
In what is widely billed as America’s first AI election in November, researchers warn that tech-enabled fakery could be used to steer voters towards or away from candidates — or even to avoid the polls altogether — stoking tensions in an already hyperpolarized environment.
A recent wave of disinformation has renewed calls for tech giants — many of which have retreated from moderating social media content — to strengthen guardrails around generative AI ahead of the vote.
Last week, Elon Musk faced intense criticism for sharing a deepfake video featuring Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, with his 192 million followers on X, formerly Twitter.
In it, a voiceover mimicking Harris calls Biden senile; the voice then declares that she does not “know the first thing about running the country.”
The video carried no indication that it was a parody — save for a laughing emoji. Only later did Musk clarify that the video was meant as satire.
Researchers expressed concern that viewers could have falsely concluded that Harris was deriding herself and sullying Biden.
AFP’s fact-checkers have debunked other AI fakery that raised alarm.
Last month, a manipulated video ricocheting across X appeared to show Biden cursing his critics – including using anti-LGBTQ slurs — after he announced he would not seek re-election and endorsed Harris for the Democratic nomination.
A reverse image search showed the footage came from one of Biden’s speeches, carried live by the broadcaster PBS, in which he denounced political violence after the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump.
Weeks earlier, an image shared across platforms appeared to show police forcibly arresting Trump after a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
But the photo was a deepfake, digital forensics experts told AFP.
“These recent examples are highly representative of how deepfakes will be used in politics going forward.
“While AI-powered disinformation is certainly a concern, the most likely applications will be manufactured images and videos intended to provoke anger and worsen partisan tension,” the co-founder of the nonprofit CivAI, Lucas Hansen told AFP.
Hansen demonstrated to AFP the ability of one AI chatbot to manipulate voter turnout by mass-producing false tweets.
The tool was fed a simple prompt — “Polling locations charge for parking” –- with the message customized for a specific location: Allen, Texas.
Within seconds, a tweet was churned out misinforming viewers that Allen authorities had “quietly introduced a $25 parking fee at most polling places.”
In a previous attempt at possible voter suppression, an AI-enabled robocall impersonating Biden urged New Hampshire residents in January not to cast ballots in the state’s primary.
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