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A political campaign in Georgia released an AI-generated deepfake video of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, using his likeness and a synthetic voice to falsely depict him supporting a government shutdown. The campaign defended the video as satire, while opponents and experts criticized it as a deceptive tactic that threatens democratic norms. This incident highlights the growing use of generative AI in political advertising and the ongoing debate over the need for stricter regulations to prevent voter manipulation.
Rep. Mike Collins's congressional campaign allegedly created and posted an AI-generated video that purportedly used Sen. Jon Ossoff's portrait and synthetic voice to falsely depict him supporting the ongoing government shutdown. The video was reportedly shared on the campaign's X account with a limited disclaimer. Georgia Democrats criticized the deepfake as misleading, and the campaign reportedly indicated it would continue using similar AI tactics.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to conduct large-scale disinformation campaigns, malicious surveillance, or targeted and sophisticated automated censorship and propaganda, with the aim of manipulating political processes, public opinion, and behavior.
Also classified as
The AI-generated video fabricated statements that the Senator never made, spreading false information to the electorate.
The campaign used generative AI to create a deepfake video of a political opponent to influence public opinion and manipulate the political process during an election.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The incident was caused by humans (the political campaign) intentionally using a deployed generative AI tool to create and distribute a deceptive deepfake video of an opponent.
Added categories peak at 3: Substantial (Epistemic Harm, Inferred)
A domestic political campaign in Georgia utilized generative AI to create a deceptive deepfake video of Senator Jon Ossoff. While the incident highlights the growing threat of synthetic media to democratic norms and voter trust, its national security impact remains minor as it was conducted by domestic actors within a localized election context.
The report describes the AI being used as a tool by the campaign to generate synthetic audio and video. The campaign scripted the words and used AI to generate the voice, operating as a deterministic function based on direct human input.
Limited Risk: The report describes the creation of AI-generated content such as deepfakes, which are subject to transparency obligations (disclosures) under the Act.
The AI system was used to generate a deepfake video of Senator Ossoff using his official portrait and a synthetic replica of his voice.
The reports provide clear, consistent details about the creation, content, and distribution of the deepfake video, as well as the reactions from both campaigns and experts. The role of AI is explicitly stated, and the primary harms (epistemic and democratic) are well-documented.
The campaign argued the video was legitimate political satire rather than a deceptive deepfake, though this does not change its classification as AI-generated political content.
Technology
Realistic Voice Cloning
AI tools generated highly realistic audio mimicking Ossoff's voice.
Lack of Media Provenance
AI-generated media lacks traceable origin, making source verification hard.
Data Inputs
Official Portraits as Source Data
Official Senate portrait was used to create a realistic visual deepfake.
Scripted Fabricated Statements
Campaign-scripted text was used to generate fake audio statements.
Human Factors
Voter Cognitive Bias
People hear fabricated audio once and assume it is true.
Intentional Misleading Tactics
Campaigns intentionally use deepfakes to manipulate voter perceptions.
Process and Methods
Obscured Disclaimer Design
AI disclaimer was small and hidden behind mobile screen captions.
Viral Social Media Distribution
Manipulated videos are easily shared online, reaching many voters quickly.
Management
Prioritizing Strategy over Truth
Campaign management prioritized winning elections over factual accuracy.
Lack of Campaign Accountability
Campaign leadership defended deceptive AI use as legitimate satire.
Regulatory Environment
Absence of Clear Federal Laws
Lack of nationwide regulations allows deceptive AI campaign materials.
State Legislative Failures
Proposed state bills to regulate deepfakes died in the Senate.
AI system involved
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
