‘Lies are flooding feeds’: AI fakery raises US voter manipulation fears

Harris waves during a campaign rally on July 30, 2024, in Atlanta. Researchers warn that tech-enabled fakery could be used to steer voters toward or away from candidates – or even to avoid the polls altogether – stoking tensions in an already hyperpolarised environment. — AP

WASHINGTON: A “deepfake” video parodying Kamala Harris, a manipulated expletive-laden clip of Joe Biden, and a doctored image of Donald Trump being arrested – a tide of AI-fuelled political disinformation has prompted alarm over its potential to manipulate voters as the US presidential race heats up.

In what is widely billed as America’s first AI election in November, researchers warn that tech-enabled fakery could be used to steer voters toward or away from candidates – or even to avoid the polls altogether – stoking tensions in an already hyperpolarised environment.