There was the deepfake audio robocall of President Biden telling you to hold your vote. And just last week, a phony video of Donald Trump with Black voters made the rounds.
AI deepfakes are a massive problem this election season, and it’s easy to get taken — especially when your news and social feeds are full of this junk.
By the way, you’re not alone if you have been fooled. Nearly two-thirds of people can’t tell the difference between AI-generated images and voices and the real thing. Those are awful odds. Here are some rules of thumb to protect your vote.
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‘Viral’ doesn’t mean ‘verified’
Almost all of the AI-generated slop online is peddled for clicks on social media, not published by major news outlets. These publications still get tripped up, of course, but it’s rare.
I’m all for citizen journalism, but when it comes to our elections, stick to publications you know you can trust. Be wary of anonymous accounts that post without a legitimate person or organization attached to them.
If it’s some random person on Facebook you’ve never heard of, do your homework before you hit share.
Look for other coverage
Scammers can put together a convincing image or video, but they can’t fake the context. When Biden or Trump says something, I promise it will be reported a hundred times and recorded from 20 angles — especially if it’s outlandish.
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Pro tip: Search related keywords on Google and social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. If you’re struggling with ways to search, you can even take screenshots of critical parts of the video and do a reverse image search.
Slow down
We’re all busy and we’re all in a hurry, but it’s worth slowing down — especially if something makes you feel something big. Deepfakes are often created with emotion in mind. The point is to make you mad, sad or scared enough to share.
When it comes to political figures, pay attention to mannerisms. They’re as unique as fingerprints. President Obama’s signature head lift and slight frown were present whenever he’d say, “Hi, everybody” in his weekly addresses. If the star of a video seems like an impersonator, they very well could be.
When in doubt, use this AI image checklist
Election fakes are particularly tricky to spot because there’s so much public footage of politicians speaking in front of similar backgrounds to copy. But you can still use these guidelines to verify if it’s AI or not:
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If you spot it, don’t spread it
I get that some of these images and videos are shocking or even hilarious — but they’re putting our elections at risk. Don’t contribute to the “Great American Fake-Off.” If you’re going to share something you know is AI-generated, call it out clearly in your text or post. Really, you’re better off not sharing it at all.
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