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The [name withheld] Project, a political action committee, created an AI-generated deepfake video of Donald Trump's deceased father, Fred Trump, criticizing his son in a political attack ad. While the creators disclosed the use of AI, the incident highlights concerns regarding the use of synthetic media in political campaigns and its potential to undermine democratic norms and discourse.
The Lincoln Project used AI to create a deepfake video of Donald Trump's deceased father criticizing him. Although they made it clear that the video was a deepfake, the deeply personal nature of the attack represents a corrosive use of artificial intelligence in undermining democratic norms during an election cycle.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Also classified as
The AI-generated video contains highly abusive, insulting, and toxic language directed at the target.
The deepfake was deployed as a political attack ad to influence public opinion and political processes at scale.
The incident involves the creation of a deepfake video of a deceased individual to target, humiliate, and manipulate the reputation of a specific victim (Donald Trump) for political advantage.
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 [name withheld] Project) intentionally using deployed AI generation tools to create a political attack ad.
Added categories peak at 3: Substantial (Epistemic Harm, Inferred)
An anti-Trump political action committee released an AI-generated deepfake of Donald Trump's deceased father criticizing him. Although disclosed as synthetic, the incident highlights the evolving use of deepfakes in political campaigns and the potential long-term erosion of epistemic security and public trust in democratic discourse.
The report describes the AI system being used to 'summon up footage' and generate synthetic voice and video based on the creators' specifications. This represents a tool performing a specific, well-defined function of media generation without autonomous planning or context retention.
Limited Risk: The system is used to generate AI-generated content such as deepfakes, which under the Act requires specific transparency obligations to ensure users are informed that the content is synthetic.
The AI system was used to generate a synthetic video and voice of Fred Trump to make it appear as though he was speaking.
The report clearly describes the creator, the target, the content of the deepfake, and the political context. The PAC's disclosure of AI use is explicitly stated, and the broader implications on political discourse are well-articulated.
None
Technology
Advanced Voice Synthesis
Allows cloning of voices, like Joe Biden or Fred Trump, with high accuracy.
Deepfake Generation Tools
Enables creation of realistic video and audio of deceased individuals.
Data Inputs
Archival Audio and Video
Abundant historical data allows training of voice clones for deceased targets.
Lack of Media Provenance
No cryptographic signatures to distinguish real media from AI-generated media.
Human Factors
The Liars Dividend
Politicians falsely claim genuine footage is AI to avoid accountability.
Voter Susceptibility
Public struggles to differentiate between real and AI-generated political ads.
Process and Methods
Deceptive Campaigning
Using AI to generate fake endorsements or attacks without clear disclosure.
Unverified Content Release
Releasing deepfakes, like the NYC assemblymember audio, without verification.
Management
Prioritizing Viral Engagement
Campaigns prioritize viral reach over ethical standards in political ads.
Lack of Ethics Guidelines
No internal organizational policies governing the resurrection of the dead.
Regulatory Environment
Absence of Deepfake Laws
Lack of federal regulations banning deceptive AI-generated political content.
Inadequate Robocall Policing
Slow regulatory response to malicious AI-generated robocalls targeting voters.
AI system involved
An AI system was involved, but the reports do not identify it.
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
