Wired
referred to as it the “most vital phenomenon” of the yr, and it has turn out to be much more difficult now with the arrival of highly effective AI instruments which have only a few restrictions.
Many AI-generated posts have raised comparable considerations, with folks arguing that it’s unattainable to inform if a video is actual or a deepfake. Others have argued that movies, like these exhibiting Harris as a “communist dictator” or Trump and Musk dancing to “Stayin’ Alive,” are clearly pretend and supposed to be humorous.
Learn: Musk goes full MAGA
Listed here are a number of examples:
Harris the Communist
Musk’s publish got here in response to a weekend marketing campaign tweet from Harris that includes a poster of Donald Trump promising to be a “dictator on day one” if re-elected. Trump made this declare in a December 2023 interview with Fox Information host Sean Hannity. Since then, Trump and his marketing campaign group have tried to downplay the remark, suggesting it was both a joke or a tactic to impress the left.
Apparently, Harris’s tweet irritated Musk sufficient to encourage his deepfake publish. He shared the pretend picture with a caption stuffed with reality-twisting rhetoric harking back to Orwell’s
1984
: “Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Are you able to consider she wears that outfit?”
Elon Musk additionally shared a picture depicting Kamala Harris as a Communist dictator.
Apartheid Clyde
Musk discovered himself on the receiving finish of his personal ways when the hacktivist group Nameless shared AI-generated pictures of him in a Nazi uniform, labelling him “Apartheid Clyde,” a reference to his upbringing in South Africa.
They wrote: “Apartheid Clyde in all his glory spreading misinformation—so right here we’re! Thank Grok! Are you able to consider Elon wears that outfit??” They posted one other picture of Musk kissing Donald Trump, with each depicted in Nazi uniforms.
The backlash to Musk’s publish wasn’t restricted to Nameless. Others additionally shared AI-generated pictures depicting Musk and Trump in each Communist and Nazi uniforms, underscoring the dangers of spreading misinformation by means of manipulated media.
The Trump-Musk Dance Off
Elon Musk was again with one other viral social media publish, this time sharing an AI-generated video that includes himself and former US President Donald Trump dancing to the Bee Gees’ basic hit “Staying Alive.” The video, posted on X (previously Twitter), confirmed the tech mogul and the previous president grooving in fits, completely synced to the disco anthem. Even Donald Trump posted the video.
Musk captioned the video with a playful comment, “Haters will say that is AI,” acknowledging the factitious nature of the video whereas playfully poking enjoyable at his critics. The publish rapidly gained traction amongst Musk’s followers, who loved the surprising mix of superior AI expertise and retro popular culture. Trump additionally shared the video, amplifying its attain and including his personal commentary, which additional fuelled its viral unfold. One person, Sophie, humorously responded, “That is actual. I used to be there once they filmed it.” Musk, recognized for his witty on-line banter, replied, “Your cinematography was ??,” retaining the trade mild and entertaining.
Swifties for Trump
Former President Donald Trump shared AI-generated pictures of ladies carrying “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts on his Reality Social account, together with a satirical publish claiming that Taylor Swift followers have been turning to Trump after safety considerations pressured the cancellation of her Vienna live shows earlier this month. Trump captioned the publish “I settle for!” and shared screenshots of 4 posts exhibiting girls carrying “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts, in addition to a fabricated picture of Taylor Swift with the caption, “Taylor needs you to vote for Donald Trump.”
Swift has not endorsed a presidential candidate on this election however supported President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020. She has beforehand criticised Trump, notably for his feedback throughout the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s homicide in 2020. One of many posts Trump included, which confirmed a number of girls carrying “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts in varied colors, was clearly labelled as satire. The creator of that publish mentioned it was clearly labelled and that they believed the Republican candidate understood “the joke.”
Code Red in US: Comrade Kamala v Traitor Trump
Will AI affect elections?
Many specialists have raised considerations in regards to the misuse of AI forward of the 2024 US Presidential Elections. Nevertheless, Meta’s Adversarial Menace Report means that AI-powered ways will solely present incremental positive factors in content material era for malicious actors.
Equally, the UK’s Alan Turing Institute discovered minimal proof of great AI interference throughout 100 elections since 2023. In keeping with an evaluation printed in MIT Expertise Overview, almost half of the world’s inhabitants is voting in elections this yr, and there is rising concern over the position of AI in these democratic processes. Whereas many specialists warn that AI poses a brand new menace to election integrity, the proof thus far suggests these fears is perhaps exaggerated. Regardless of considerations, preliminary studies point out that the anticipated affect of AI on elections has not materialised to the extent predicted. The article concludes that whereas considerations about AI’s potential to affect elections are legitimate, they need to not distract from different essential threats to democracy, reminiscent of voter suppression, assaults on election officers, and restrictions on freedoms. Blaming expertise for these broader issues can divert consideration from extra basic points affecting democratic establishments.
