US Senator Adam Schiff and Representative Ro Khanna are sounding the alarm on a new trend in American politics: AI-generated campaign ads that look and feel like they’re straight out of Hollywood. These high-tech ads, often featuring manipulated images and deepfake audio, are starting to make appearances in online political ads, and Schiff and Khanna warn that they could be the norm by the next election.
From Reality TV to Reality Distortion
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, it’s no secret that social media has become a key battleground for politicians and their supporters. But what’s changing fast is the technology behind these online ads.
Take Spencer Pratt, the reality TV star and Instagram personality, who recently used an AI-generated ad to accuse his opponents of corruption. Or Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, who created an AI-fueled video arguing that Joe Biden’s administration is responsible for rising gas prices. These ads aren’t just persuasive – they’re persuasive, and they’re increasingly sophisticated.
The problem, as Schiff and Khanna see it, is that these AI-generated ads are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. They can be manipulated to make anyone look or sound like anyone else, and they can be spread quickly and easily online.
The Rise of Deepfakes in Politics
Deepfakes, the AI-generated videos that mimic real people in shocking detail, have been around for a few years – but they’re becoming more and more mainstream. And that’s a problem, because deepfakes are the ultimate form of “fake news.”
As Schiff and Khanna point out, if deepfakes become the norm in American elections, voters will have no idea what’s real and what’s not. It’s a digital Wild West, and they’re worried that politicians will be able to get away with just about anything.
What This Means
So what does this mean for voters? It means that we need to be more vigilant than ever when it comes to online ads. We need to be able to trust what we see and hear online, and that’s getting harder and harder. Schiff and Khanna are calling on Congress to take action to regulate AI-generated campaign ads before it’s too late.
One solution is to require that all online ads clearly label their AI-generated content. Another idea is to implement stricter regulations around the use of deepfakes in politics. Whatever the solution, one thing is clear: AI-generated campaign ads are a ticking time bomb for American democracy.
