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Trump posted a fake Taylor Swift image. AI and deepfakes are only going to get worse this election cycle

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Trump posted a fake Taylor Swift image. AI and deepfakes are only going to get worse this election cycle

As a digital content creator and someone who has personally experienced the disturbing reality of deepfakes, I wholeheartedly agree with AG-AFTRA’s national executive director, Crabtree-Ireland. The proliferation of misinformation and deepfakes on social media platforms is not only alarming but also potentially devastating in real-world consequences.

The patriotic image shows megastar Taylor Swift dressed up like Uncle Sam, falsely suggesting she endorses Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The message on this image seems to have been created by AI, and it encourages you to cast your vote for Donald Trump – as per Taylor’s preference.

During the weekend, Trump reinforced the falsehood by posting the image among others, claiming fan backing from Taylor Swift, to his 7.6 million followers on his platform Truth Social.

Politics has historically involved some degree of deception, but the advent of advanced artificial intelligence technologies that enable quick creation of falsified images or videos through simple text input introduces a new dimension to this persistent issue in social media. These manipulated visuals, often referred to as deepfakes, have the power to make it seem as though someone is uttering or performing actions they never did.

With the competition between Donald Trump and Democratic contender Kamala Harris heating up, specialists in misinformation are expressing concerns over potential threats posed by advanced artificial intelligence.

“Emilio Ferrara, a professor at USC Viterbi School of Engineering, expressed concern as the election approaches: ‘Things are going to escalate significantly.’ He predicted that the situation will deteriorate even more than it currently is.”

I personally find myself in a position where I’m compelled to address the situation with social media giants like Facebook and what was once Twitter. These platforms have guidelines set in place to prohibit manipulated visuals, audios, or videos. However, the deluge of AI-generated content on the internet has made it challenging for them to implement these policies effectively.

Hany Farid, a UC Berkeley professor specializing in misinformation and digital forensics, stated that we still grapple with the same issues of the past, including legends, conflicts, and overall foolishness, which have persisted for a decade. However, these problems are now amplified by advanced AI with generative capabilities, and we find ourselves deeply divided along partisan lines.

In light of the growing enthusiasm for OpenAI, the creators behind the widely-used generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, tech firms are urging users to try out fresh AI solutions capable of producing text, graphics, and video content.

As a movie buff, I’ve got my detective hat on and analyzed the photos Trump posted via Swift. It seems like a sneaky blend of truth and fiction, a “cunning” tactic to disseminate misleading content.

Individuals often distribute false visual content for numerous motives, such as seeking popularity on social media platforms or provoking others. Visual representations play an influential role in shaping public opinion, particularly concerning political matters, like the validity of the 2024 presidential election, as suggested.

In context X, images seemingly crafted by AI show Taylor Swift embracing Donald Trump, or performing actions such as holding his hand or singing a duet with him while he plays the guitar. Additionally, social media enthusiasts have employed various tactics to misrepresent that Taylor Swift endorsed Trump.

I, as a devoted Taylor Swift fan, took notice when I came across a video falsely suggesting she endorsed Trump. This misleading clip, initially posted in February, cleverly edited footage from the 2024 Grammys to make it seem like Taylor was holding a sign reading “Trump Won. Democrats Cheated!”, which is absolutely untrue and manipulated for effect.

Political campaigns have been bracing for AI’s impact on the election.

According to Mia Ehrenberg, the Vice President Harris’ campaign has established an internal task force that is readying responses for any potential impacts from artificial intelligence during this election cycle, specifically addressing the menace of harmful deepfakes. The team is only allowing AI to be utilized for efficiency-enhancing tools like data analysis, she clarified.

Trump’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment.

A key issue in combating deepfakes and manipulated videos is that existing federal law doesn’t explicitly regulate these issues within the context of social media platforms. The Communications Decency Act of 1996 shields social media companies from legal responsibility for hosting content, as they are not considered responsible for content created by users unless they actively aid or manage its posting.

However, over time, technology firms have faced criticism due to the content that has been made available on their platforms. In response, numerous social media entities have developed content moderation policies, which include banning hate speech.

According to Joanna Rosen Forster, a partner at Crowell & Moring, it’s quite challenging to find a balance for social media companies and online operators.

As a passionate cinephile, I’m eagerly keeping tabs on the ongoing efforts of legislators to combat the issue of unauthorized deepfakes circulating on social media platforms. They are actively proposing laws that mandate these tech giants to remove such misleading content, ensuring a more authentic and reliable digital environment for all users like myself.

Governor Gavin Newsom expressed in July his approval for laws prohibiting the manipulation of voices using artificial intelligence during political campaign ads. This statement followed the sharing of a video by Elon Musk, owner of X, which artificially replicated Harris’ voice. However, Musk, who supports Trump, later clarified that the shared video was intended as a satire or parody.

One of the organizations pushing for legislation concerning deepfakes is the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who serves as both the national executive director and lead negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, stated that social media platforms are currently falling short in addressing the issue at hand.

“Crabtree-Ireland stated that falsehoods and blatant fabrications disseminated via deepfakes are essentially irreversible. With many elections hinging on slim margins and intricate, obscure systems like the electoral college, these deceptive deepfake tales can bring about catastrophic real-life effects.”

Crabtree-Ireland personally encountered the issue of deepfakes last year. During a period when he was seeking contract approval, a manipulated video featuring him appeared on Instagram. The video, which depicted false images of Crabtree-Ireland discouraging union members from voting for a contract he had negotiated, garnered tens of thousands of views. Despite the caption stating “deepfake,” he received numerous inquiries from union members about the authenticity of the video.

It took several days before Instagram took the deepfake video down, he said.

Crabtree-Ireland expressed that it seemed extremely disrespectful to him. They should not misuse his likeness and words to advocate for something he doesn’t support.

In a closely contested race between Harris and Trump, it’s no wonder that both candidates are relying on the star power to attract voters. Harris’ team has welcomed the portrayal of her as a “brat” by pop star Charli XCX, and they have utilized popular songs like Beyoncé’s “Freedom” and Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon” to promote their Democratic female presidential candidate who is Black and Asian American. On the other hand, musicians such as Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) have publicly endorsed Trump, who survived an assassination attempt in July.

Taylor Swift, who has previously been affected by deepfakes, hasn’t openly supported any candidate for the 2024 presidential election, but she has voiced criticism towards Trump in the past. In the 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,” Swift expresses regret over not speaking out against Trump during the 2016 election and refers to Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn, who was running for U.S. Senate at that time, as someone resembling Trump in a wig.

Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, did not respond to a request for comment.

AI-powered chatbots from platforms such as Meta, X and OpenAI make it easy for people to create fictitious images. While news outlets have found that X’s AI chatbot Grok can generate election fraud images, other chatbots are more restrictive.

Meta AI’s chatbot declined to create images of Swift endorsing Trump.

“Our chatbot doesn’t have the ability to produce images intended for spreading false information or giving the impression that a public figure is supporting a specific political candidate.”

Both Meta and TikTok have made it clear that they are working hard to identify content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and collaborate with fact-checkers. For instance, TikTok stated that any AI-made videos falsely claiming political endorsements from individuals or groups are forbidden on their platform. X declined to comment when asked about this matter.

When questioned about how Truth Social manages AI-created content, the company behind the platform, Trump Media and Technology Group Corp., countered by suggesting that reporters are pushing for increased censorship. The community guidelines for Truth Social prohibit fraudulent and spam posts but do not clarify their approach to AI-generated content.

Due to the potential of legal actions and regulations, some experts who specialize in misinformation express doubt that social networking sites genuinely intend to appropriately manage false or misleading information.

In simpler terms, Farid mentioned that because social networks primarily earn revenue through advertisements, it benefits their business if users spend more time on these platforms, which is essentially what he means by “good for business.”

He mentioned that it’s the extremely secretive, offensive, sensational, enraging material that typically captures people’s attention. In his view, this is a fundamental aspect of human nature.

It’s a harsh reality that even Swifties won’t be able to shake off.

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2024-08-21 13:33

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