AI campaign deepfakes are starting to draw legal threats
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) was hit with a cease-and-desist letter this week over an AI deepfake he posted falsely depicting his Democratic opponent voicing positions her campaign says she rejects. Why it matters: Van Orden is the latest in a growing number of candidates and elected officials facing legal complaints and threats over AI deepfakes in campaign ads. Driving the news: Attorneys…
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) has received a cease-and-desist letter over an AI deepfake video he posted, falsely portraying his Democratic opponent, Rebecca Cooke, as stating her campaign's rejected positions. Cooke's legal team sent the letter on Wednesday, citing Van Orden's pattern of posting misleading AI-generated videos that attribute statements to Cooke that she never made.
Van Orden's team didn't respond to inquiries but responded to Cooke with an AI-generated video of a duck wearing a Democratic Socialists of America T-shirt, yelling "cease and desist." This incident is part of a growing trend of candidates and elected officials facing legal complaints and threats due to AI deepfakes in campaign ads.
While some campaigns have utilized realistic ads, others have employed more cartoonish content as parody. Currently, about 31 states have regulations on political deepfakes, requiring disclosures for AI-generated content in 28 of those states. Legal experts warn that these challenges may only be the beginning as candidates seek legal recourse, law enforcement intervention, and warnings to authorities, highlighting the erosion of trust in the political system that AI deepfakes contribute to.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
