Trump shares AI-generated deepfake of Taylor Swift endorsing him
Donald Trump posted AI-generated deepfake images falsely showing Taylor Swift endorsing his candidacy, and Elon Musk shared a deepfake video of Kamala Harris. Swift responded by endorsing Harris and publicly warning about the dangers of AI-generated political misinformation, highlighting the lack of federal regulations governing such content in elections.
What happened
In August 2024, Donald Trump posted AI-generated images on social media showing Taylor Swift dressed as Uncle Sam with the caption 'Taylor Wants You to Vote for Donald Trump,' along with fake images of people wearing 'Swifties for Trump' shirts.
Elon Musk, a Trump supporter, also posted on social media a deepfake video showing a manipulated image of Kamala Harris.
Reported impact
Taylor Swift responded by announcing her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and expressed fear about the dangers of AI-generated misinformation in political campaigns. Public Citizen noted that Swift has been a victim of both AI-generated election misinformation and AI-generated non-consensual intimate deepfakes.
Index analysis
The incident highlights the lack of clear federal rules governing AI use in political campaigns. The Federal Election Commission declined to vote on a proposed rule about deepfakes and AI in political ads ahead of the 2024 election, with Chairman Sean Cooksey stating the agency wanted to wait to see how AI is used before considering new rules.
The Federal Communications Commission is looking to establish requirements that the use of AI be disclosed in political ads.
Governance controls
Federal Election Commission Chairman Sean Cooksey stated that deceptive campaign ads are always a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act regardless of whether AI or another technology was used to create them.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.