“Concerns about threats to democracy ahead of the U.S. presidential election”
Recently, a false voice impersonating US President Joe Biden was circulated, and a deepfake photo containing false information that former President Barack Obama was arrested also appeared. Ahead of the US presidential election in November, there is great concern that the spread of false information using artificial intelligence (AI) could threaten the foundation of democracy.
On the 24th (local time), USA Today reported that the arrest photo of former President Obama that was recently spread on social media was completely false information.
The photo appears to have been taken from a broadcast scene in which former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, a conservative commentator, commented on the scene of former President Obama being arrested by the police and trying to get into a police car. Under the photo, “Obama was arrested for crimes against humanity.” Carlson reported this on his personal Telegram channel. However, there is also an article saying, “Mainstream media such as CNN are intentionally not reporting it.”
The photo is manipulated and the post is also false information. Even Carlson, who had an uneasy relationship with former President Obama throughout his administration, told USA Today, “I never posted that former President Obama was arrested. “He doesn’t even run a Telegram channel,” he said, adding, “It’s all false.”
The original false photo was taken in 2008 when a California protester was arrested on misdemeanor charges for failing to follow police instructions. The target of arrest was changed from ordinary protesters to former President Obama. Traces of manipulation can be easily seen, such as the police officer’s hand holding former President Obama’s arm being crushed in an unnatural manner.
Some in the U.S. are calling for the establishment of AI regulations at the central government level as the presidential election is just around the corner. Currently, there are no AI regulations established by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Some states, such as California and Texas, are enforcing their own regulations.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.