AI tracker charts growth in deepfakes ahead of election
The German Marshall Fund has launched a tool to track AI-generated deep fakes targeting elections that are circulating in the U.S. and across the globe.
The tool comes in a historic year for elections. More than half the globe has or will hold elections in 2024, a detail that collides with a surge in AI-created audio, video and images often providing false narratives and information about candidates.
The U.S. has already seen its fair share of AI-generated content targeting the election, from fake audio claiming to be President Biden encouraging New Hampshire voters to skip the primary to former President Trump posting fake images of Taylor Swift falsely suggesting the singer endorsed him.
Dubbed “Spitting Images,” the project charts only deepfakes that have gained significant traction or been debunked by journalists.
In addition to providing a fact check for voters, Lindsay Gorman, the project’s lead, is hopeful the tool will also spot trends that can help policymakers weigh how to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in elections.
“We wanted to understand how is [AI] actually being deployed in the real world over this historic election year. And for policymakers that are thinking through potential legislation or potential guardrails on artificial intelligence, particularly around political AI, should they have transparency requirements when it comes to politicians and elections? Where should they be focusing their efforts?” Gorman said.
The tracker, pulling data assembled over the last year, has charted 133 deep fakes released over 30 different countries.
Gorman said a few trends have clearly emerged, including a reliance on audio deep fakes, which accounted for almost 70 percent of tracked cases.
“The fact is that the current state of the technology is just not that convincing when it comes to images and videos, but it is when it comes to audio. It's very difficult to tell when something's been AI-generated,” she said.
AI-generated audio already has played a role in a major election in Slovakia, where fake audio showed one of the candidates, Michal Simecka, discussing rigging the election as well as planning to raise the price of beer if elected.
The fake audio emerged during the country's 48-hour moratorium on campaigning, making it difficult to debunk.
It’s difficult to know just how much of an impact the fake audio had, though Simecka ultimately lost the election.
In some cases though, the believability of the AI may not matter.
Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, shared a photo of Vice President Harris wearing a communist uniform. Though the photo is clearly fake, Musk shared it in response to a post from Harris calling Trump a dictator, writing “Can you believe she wears that outfit?”
In another post from Musk, he elevated AI-generated audio of Harris purporting to be a campaign ad where she thanked Biden for putting his “senility” on display during the debate and proclaiming to be the “ultimate diversity hire.”
Gorman said while there must be room for satire and free speech, even efforts that are obviously fake play a role in discourse.
“They paint those ideas in the voter's mind, even if they know that, of course, Kamala Harris is not going to get up there and say she was a DEI hire,” she said.
“You can almost wear people down with the same messages over and over again. I think ads like this are one way to keep getting those messages across and sort of plant a seed of doubt, even if you know it's not authentic.”
There have also been accusations leveled by Trump of real images being manipulated by AI, suggesting an early Harris rally crowd size was not as large as it appeared. Journalists and other attendees pushed back against the false claim by sharing their own photos showing robust crowds.
Trump’s own sharing of the AI-generated Swift photo also appeared to backfire, with the singer citing disinformation around how she planned to vote when endorsing Harris last month.
The U.S. intelligence community has already issued warnings about the role of AI in elections, particularly as it is being used and distributed by foreign adversaries.
An official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said last month that Russia is the top creator of such content, most of it aimed at pushing divisive issues or creating false narratives about U.S. political figures.
Iran meanwhile has used the tools primarily to create fake news websites, including translating content into Spanish to spread disinformation.
The official noted that not all false content shared in recent weeks has been created using AI, noting that a fake video made with a woman claiming to have been hit by Harris in a hit-and-run was a “staged video.”
Date: | |
Tag: | Artificial Intelligence |
-
Politics - The Hill
Early voting kicks into high gear ahead of Election Day
Welcome to The Hill's Campaign newsletter {beacon} Campaign Report Campaign Report The Big Story Early voting kicks into high gear ahead of Election Day Candidates in the Nov. 5 elections are ...14 hours ago -
Politics - The Hill
The Switch Up Election Series — What polls say about Black voters ahead of November
Kristin Powell is the principal of the Black Futures Lab, an organization working to build political power through civic engagement. Powell sat down with The Hill's The Switch Up just days after ...19 hours ago -
Politics - NBC News
Kari Lake refuses to commit to certifying election results ahead of Arizona Senate debate
NBC News Correspondent Julie Tsirkin joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss her interviews with both Arizona Senate candidates, Kari Lake (R) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D), as they prepare to face off in ...14 hours ago -
Business - Inc.
Spirit Halloween Celebrates Growth With Christmas Store Expansion
The autumnal pop-up retailing chain says it will transform several of its Halloween-themed locations into Christmas stores as it broadens its holiday horizons.17 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Amazon criticised as Tommy Robinson book tops chart
Campaign group says site is platforming far-right activist by stocking his book which reached No 1 this week. Amazon has been accused of funnelling “thousands of pounds into the pockets of ...46 minutes ago - Amazon -
Business - Financial Times
Reeves must convince on growth to keep bond investors on side
IFS says any increased spending in the Budget must deliver economic expansion12 hours ago -
Top stories - ABC News
Hurricane Milton live updates: Monster storm pummels Florida after landfall
Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane on Florida's west coast near Siesta Key.9 minutes ago - Florida -
Top stories - NBC News
Hurricane Milton tracker: See map, forecast and status
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, about five miles west of Sarasota, as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, the National Hurricane Center ...6 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
Politics - The Hill
North Korea wades into Ukraine
North Korea has entered the Ukraine war by providing artillery ammunition and military technology to Russia, and is now deploying soldiers to the Donetsk Oblast to assist in rebuilding ...26 minutes ago - Ukraine -
Politics - The Hill
Don’t expect hurricane ‘truth telling from anybody’: Bill O’Reilly
"Republicans and Donald Trump are trying to use a storm for political advantage, but so is Kamala Harris,” O'Reilly said.35 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Post-Milton gas in Florida will be a challenge: GasBuddy founder
63% of gas stations in the Tampa area are out of gas, and it could be weeks before they're resupplied.44 minutes ago - Florida -
Politics - The Hill
Morning Report — Hurricane Milton damages Florida, leaves fatalities
In today’s issue: White caps, driving bands of rain and deadly tornadoes were among Hurricane Milton’s earliest warnings before smashing into Florida’s Gulf Coast south of Tampa Wednesday night and ...1 hour ago -
Politics - The Hill
Republican and Democratic House Latinos face off in race to increase their numbers
Latino House Republicans are building out campaign infrastructure to protect their members and grow their numbers, at times directly competing with their Democratic counterparts, who have a huge ...1 hour ago