Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has taken a bold step in the fight against AI-generated deepfakes and fabricated political content by creating a deepfake of himself to warn voters. In a video shared during Sunday’s episode of Meet the Press, the AI version of Mr. Fontes introduced itself and explained its purpose, emphasizing that it was just an impersonation of the real human.
While the deepfake’s dialogue delivery was stilted and robotic, and its facial animations were perplexing, the video was otherwise convincing as real footage of the Arizona official. Meet the Press host Kristen Welker called the footage “chilling” and asked Mr. Fontes why he felt it was necessary to build a deepfake of himself.
Mr. Fontes explained that in training, they looked at the weapons of their enemies, including AI, which he described as an amplifier of misinformation. He wanted to ensure that elections officials were familiar with how AI can be used to create misinformation and to establish processes for dealing with fake information.
This move comes as President Joe Biden also addressed the issue of AI, calling on AI companies to earn the public’s trust. With AI-powered systems becoming more prevalent in everyday life, the potential for misinformation spread by AI models is a growing concern.
As the public navigates the digital landscape, the need for vigilance in discerning fact from fiction is more crucial than ever. The creation of deepfakes by public officials like Mr. Fontes serves as a stark reminder of the challenges posed by AI-generated content in the realm of politics.
