As AI images become common, the threat to elections draws alarm: ‘How will voters know what’s true?’
Deepfakes and misinformation driven by artificial intelligence have become a point of deep concern for legislators, advocates and the public An image of College Park, Georgia mayor Bianca Motley Broom kissing a man – who was not her husband – in a bar spread far and wide on Facebook. The fact that it’s fake is spreading faster, now, but only after it had been seen by thousands of people. “I think…
As AI-generated images become more prevalent, lawmakers, advocates, and the general population are increasingly worried about the potential impact on elections. A recent poll conducted by the Rad Campaign and Women Who Tech found that 71% of respondents were concerned about deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation affecting elections, with two-thirds of respondents fearing the sexualization of women and children through AI.
One notable example of the issue occurred in College Park, Georgia, where an altered image of the city's mayor, Bianca Motley Broom, was widely shared on social media. The image depicted the mayor kissing a man who was not her husband, in a bar setting. While the authenticity of the image was quickly debunked, it spread rapidly and caused concern among the mayor and the public.
Motley Broom herself expressed concern about the implications of such deepfakes on democracy. "It also seeks to reinforce really tired stereotypes about women in leadership," she said. "How will voters know what's true, and what's not true?"
The Trump administration has a history of using AI imagery, with the White House posting a digitally altered photo of Nekima Levy Armstrong in January. The image showed Armstrong appearing to cry and with darkened skin, despite her calm demeanor and light complexion in the original photograph. Similarly, fake images of New York's Mayor, Zohran Mamdami, began circulating on social media, falsely depicting him and his mother with Jeffrey Epstein.
Senator Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, shared his own experiences with AI-generated content, alleging that deepfake images of him had been circulating online, portraying him with health issues and grandchildren he does not have. Warnock emphasized the growing difficulty in distinguishing fact from fiction in the age of advanced AI tools.
Several senators are considering political responses to possible election interference scenarios, such as disinformation campaigns driven by fabricated images or videos. However, Republican Senator John Kennedy's bill, which required AI firms to install a "kill switch" for rogue AI, was blocked by fellow Republican Senator Rand Paul, who deemed the effort premature.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called for urgent AI regulation, emphasizing the need for "guardrails" to protect American people from bad actors and behavior.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
