As the 2024 United States presidential election draws near, concerns about the spread of political deepfakes are growing. Deepfakes are videos or audio recordings that have been manipulated to make it appear as if someone is saying or doing something they never did.
GenAI, a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform, is making it easier than ever to create deepfakes. GenAI uses a technique called “generative adversarial networks” (GANs) to create realistic-looking fake videos. GANs work by pitting two AI models against each other: a generator and a discriminator. The generator creates fake videos, while the discriminator tries to distinguish between real and fake videos.
Over time, the generator becomes better at creating fake videos that fool the discriminator. This means that GenAI can be used to create highly realistic deepfakes that are difficult to distinguish from real videos.
The spread of political deepfakes is a serious threat to democracy. Deepfakes can be used to damage a candidate’s reputation or to spread misinformation. In the wrong hands, deepfakes could be used to undermine public trust in elections.
What can be done to stop the spread of political deepfakes?
There is no easy answer to this question. However, there are a few things that can be done to mitigate the threat of political deepfakes:
- Educate the public about deepfakes. It is important to teach people how to identify deepfakes and to be skeptical of videos that they see online.
- Develop technology to detect deepfakes. There are a number of companies working on developing technology to detect deepfakes. This technology is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to help to stop the spread of deepfakes.
- Hold social media companies accountable. Social media companies have a responsibility to prevent the spread of harmful content on their platforms. They need to do more to identify and remove deepfakes from their platforms.
The spread of political deepfakes is a serious threat to democracy. However, there are steps that can be taken to mitigate this threat. By educating the public about deepfakes, developing technology to detect deepfakes, and holding social media companies accountable, we can help to protect our democracy from the dangers of deepfakes.