DeSantis Campaign Uses AI-Generated Images of Trump
Are you concerned about AI in politics?
What’s the story?
- This week, Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video that included fake images of former President Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci hugging.
- This is the latest example of how AI blurs the line between fiction and reality, causing alarm as America gears up for its next presidential election.
The video
- The video was posted on Monday by the governor’s team. It slams Trump for his alleged support of Fauci, the former Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the U.S., who played a large role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans have been attacking Fauci for his response to the crisis.
- In a collage of the two men, three out of six images were AI-generated. The photos contain recognizable details of similar AI shots, including oddly textured and blurred hair, unnatural arm and hand depictions, and nonsensical backdrops meaning to resemble the White House press briefing room.
Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television*
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 5, 2023
But when it came to Fauci... pic.twitter.com/7Lxwf75NQm
What’re they saying?
- Henry Farid, a digital forensics expert and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said:
“It was particularly sneaky to intermix the real and the fake images, as if the presence of the real image would give more credibility to the other images…These problems, however, will eventually get resolved and we can expect AI-generated images, and audio and video, to become increasingly more difficult to distinguish from reality.”
- While this is not the first instance of AI images going viral, Trump’s supporters are now calling out DeSantis’ team for manipulating the media and spreading misinformation. In response to this, someone from DeSantis’ operation said:
“This was not an ad, it was a social media post. If the Trump team is upset about this, I’d ask them why they have been continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the governor.”
- Irene Solaiman, a safety and policy expert at the AI company Hugging Face, said:
“I look at these generations multiple times a day and I have a very hard time telling them apart. It’s going to be a tough road ahead…One of my biggest frustrations that I’m shouting from the mountaintops in my field is that a lot of the problems that we’re seeing with AI are not engineering problems.”
Are you concerned about AI in politics?
-Jamie Epstein
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There is already so much misinformation in politics. AI will only make it worse.
I bet Trump wishes that Dr. Fauci liked him. I'm sure the great ego seethed that scientists like Fauci knew what a fool he was.
DeSantis is playing a dangerous game, since there are real pictures of him with underage people drinking, but hey... If he wants to play with fire.
Soon hopefully we'll all see pictures of Trump in shackles or an orange jumpsuit.
I love the concept of AI and can see a lot of benefits from AI. The operative word is BENEFIT. DeSantis is not alone in doing that. Nefarious folks will take advantage of that.
Congress needs to snap to attention to this before it gets out of hand.
Without a doubt, we are about to see an onslaught of fake AI video and audio recordings during the upcoming election season. My guess is that the gullible Republicans (i.e., those who believe that the former WH resident is innocent and is going to save them from god knows what) will believe all the fakes, which is why DeSantis (and soon to be others) will use it.
This is just going to make it more difficult to pick out the truthful ones. Those with no real platform will use any tactic they can to lure those that just listen to false medias. But then didn't we elect one of those already.
When it comes to Ron DeSantis the A.I. stands for Absolute Iidiot.
I am more concerned that he’s on the ballot to become a president.
Come on DeSantis...WTF?? Really??
I'm not surprised that De Santis is using AI, but I think it should be outlawed until regulations can be put into law. There is too much room for falsehoods and slander. And, as we have seen there are too many people believing in downright crap!
I am extremely concerned about the GOP censoring Adam Schiff and keeping the crazies like Lauren Bobbert, Marjorie Taylor Green and George Santos. What has happened to the GOP? This is abhorant behavior.
Should not be allowed untl vetted
Yes, Desantis is not the brightest bulb either.. He has done well for Florida, but has no cojones for the big chair and what has to be done.
AI should not be used by this government at all..
they need to make a law saying it is illegal to use AI in connection with anyone's name or likeness without that individuals written consent or they may be sued for damages.
More research must happen with AI .
We have way too much misinformation flooding us now
I am concerned about AI in 99.9 percent of everything. Political meddling and lies make it all ripe for AI.
AI will be a boon for the unscrupulous who will commit any crime to stay in power.
Given the deeply Rose Tinted Lenses Republican Voters universally wear, AI will easily convince those people.
AI may also convince low info voters.
AI will likely be obvious to well-informed voters and dedicated Democratic and Progressive Voters.
Any questions that arise from the AI-generated ads will hopefully be addressed and answered quickly and firmly.
I have similar but stronger concerns about the less well-financed down-ballot elections.
I have concerns over the misuse of AI in any form. But it will lead to lawsuits in the hands of politicians whose entire career depends on fooling the gullible and their constituents.
In this world of extreme polarization, 'alternate facts', and some individual/groups proclivities to violence, the possibility of being unable to distinguish between reality and fabricated 'truth' and the consequence implications is terrifying!
Given the number of reality-challenged Americans, AI will only make things worse.
If you have to cheat to get elected you are not the right person for the position.. morals and standards do not seem to impact those who have motives that ate contradictory to the needs of the people. For them we need strong and enforceable legislation.
AI generated information should be stated up front of it's origin and by the party making the request...I find it disconcerting that AI is mixed into politic which already has a great need of oversight to keep lie, cheat and steal ata bare minimum at the very best....
Morally corrupt politicans who have great difficulty in telling the truth will happily use AI. Lazy people who are willing to accept what their party dictates to them without doing their research will be duped by it. There should be regulations on AI and one of them could be that it's use is prohibited by politicians or political parties.