AI-generated deepfakes fuel election interference and harassment worldwide
AI-generated deepfakes are being used to interfere with elections, manipulate voters, and harass women, with incidents reported globally including fake audio of political leaders and non-consensual sexual imagery. The technology enables rapid creation and distribution of convincing false content at scale, with researchers and governments warning of the unprecedented risks to election integrity and public discourse.
What happened
In 2023, Slovakia experienced election interference when a deepfake audio recording of a pro-European party leader appeared to admit that legislative elections would be manipulated; the fabricated content reportedly influenced voters.
Deepfakes targeting political leaders have circulated globally, including fake audio of former US President Joe Biden advising voters not to vote, and fabricated video of French President Emmanuel Macron announcing his resignation with altered audio.
Women politicians in the United States, Italy, United Kingdom, and Pakistan have been targeted with non-consensual AI-generated sexual imagery, as have celebrities including singer Taylor Swift; researchers warn that all women face vulnerability to such deepfake harassment.
Russian-linked disinformation campaigns called Doppelgänger and Matriochka have used inauthentic profiles and bots to publish AI-generated content aimed at undermining Western support for Ukraine.
Reported impact
The American Sunlight Project warns that all women are now vulnerable to AI-generated sexual deepfakes, which are increasingly difficult to detect.
Chine Labbé of Newsguard notes that the scale and ease of creating and distributing false but credible content has reached unprecedented levels, allowing individuals with minimal resources and time to spread misinformation across social networks.
Index analysis
Viginum, France's agency for countering foreign digital interference, reports that AI provides unprecedented support for generating and managing inauthentic accounts on online platforms at large scale.
The rapid deployment of AI technology has accelerated the proliferation of fabricated content across all domains, including fake music videos and false historical event imagery created within minutes.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.