Rep. Collins campaign releases deepfake video of Sen. Ossoff on government shutdown
Rep. Mike Collins' campaign released an AI-generated deepfake video featuring fabricated audio of Sen. Jon Ossoff supporting a government shutdown and mocking farmers, with a small disclaimer that it was AI-generated. Ossoff's campaign called it an attempt to mislead voters, while Collins' campaign defended it as satire and said it would continue using AI tools.
What happened
Rep. Mike Collins' campaign released a deepfake video showing Sen. Jon Ossoff speaking in support of a government shutdown and mocking farmers, saying he had 'only seen a farm on Instagram.' The video used computer-generated audio and imagery based on Ossoff's official Senate portrait.
The video included a small on-screen disclaimer stating it was AI-generated. According to one source, the disclaimer was only visible on mobile phones if viewers clicked to full screen and clicked again to eliminate an overlaying caption.
Reported impact
Ossoff's campaign called the ad an intentional attempt to mislead voters. Ossoff had previously warned a Senate Rules Committee in 2023 about the dangers of AI-generated videos that could depict candidates 'making statements we never made.'
The ad sparked debate over the responsible use of emerging technologies in political campaigns and the blurring of lines between truth and fabrication.
Index analysis
The Collins campaign defended the video as legitimate political satire and said it would continue using AI tools for voter outreach. The Georgia GOP chair stated the ad was 'clearly labeled as AI-generated satire' and accused Democrats of being opposed to new technology.
Local Democrats criticized the move, with a Democratic Party of Georgia spokesperson calling it an attempt to 'deceive voters with deepfake videos' rather than address policy issues.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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