WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump He’s been active on his social accounts while Democrats gather for their convention in Chicago, but some of his posts don’t have much to do with reality.
in front Democratic National ConventionHe posted a fake image of a person impersonating Vice President Kamala Harris addressing a communist rally in Chicago, depicting a red banner with a communist symbol. This followed her reposting a fake video of herself dancing next to one of her most vocal supporters, billionaire Elon Musk.
Just before the convention began, he reposted a picture of Taylor Swift in an Uncle Sam outfit and accepted her endorsement of his campaign, which she never gave.
They are the latest examples of Trump promoting images produced by artificial intelligence tools to attack his opponents or create illusions of support around his own campaign. It’s a long-standing strategy by Trump — from QAnon supporters to deniers of fair election results — to score political points and appease his base by promoting alternative realities.
Some of the pictures and videos Trump has shared are cartoonish or outright fake. Still, the rise of AI-generated content across political social media has experts worried that it could be used to push more insidious and plausible misinformation. As fake images, videos and audio clips created by AI models begin to flood social media, there is also the risk of eroding people’s trust in what they see and hear.
“Taylor Swift’s AI-generated deepfakes are yet another example of AI’s power to create disinformation that deceives and deceives voters,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-chair of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group. AI “The potential harm to our society from such misinformation, including abuses of our elections, is widespread and damaging.”
One AI-generated image in Trump’s Truth social post shared on Sunday showed women in “Swifties for Trump” shirts, a nod to the artist’s devout fans. The spoof featured Swift dressed as Uncle Sam and included the caption, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” Retweeting the image, Trump wrote, “I agree!”
The images shared by Trump also had a slight satirical label, although he did not clarify whether his post was intended as a joke.
Swift, who continues her world tour with a show in London on Tuesday night, has not made any endorsements in this year’s US presidential election. His spokesperson did not return messages seeking comment.
For Republicans outside Trump’s orbit, the focus on someone like Swift, one of the most talked-about artists in the world, is a distraction for Trump at a time when the focus is more on Harris and Democrats.
“This is how he and the campaign can get back into the news cycle,” said Doug Haye, a longtime Republican spokesman and activist. “I hesitate to say their credits, but I think we all know, if you want to be talked about, Taylor Swift is the best way to do it.”
A Harris spokeswoman did not respond to questions about Trump’s use of AI-generated images.
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Trump supporters often use AI-generated images to create social media posts and memes, some of which are shared by the former president.
Before Trump shared the fake Swift photos, her supporters created and posted their own AI-generated videos and images of the pop star that appeared to support Trump. They also shared several pictures of Harris dressed as a communist leader or addressing a Soviet gathering.
Political activists have long worried about what the rise of artificial intelligence will mean for elections.
Some members of Congress have proposed legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated images in politics, but no legislation to do so has passed. The Federal Communications Commission It proposed that political advertisers should disclose their usage Artificial intelligence on television and radio advertisements, but such rule does not affect social media platforms.
Although many social media companies have rules for labeling AI-generated content, they are not always followed. Across the sites, inaccurate and lifelike images of both Trump and Harris racked up millions of views, with some users unaware that what they were seeing was fake.
Given her influence and millions of fans, Swift has often become a popular political topic during election years.
In 2020, she is Endorsed President Joe BidenA month before the election, she wrote that she was going to cheer for Harris, the Democratic nominee this year, in a debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. He openly criticized Trump ahead of the 2020 election, saying he had stoked the “fires of white supremacy and racism.”
Although he has been sidelined so far this year, he has not escaped the attention of mainstream conservatives worried about a quick endorsement of the Democratic presidential ticket.
Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro earlier this year warned Swift “does not engage in politics”. Fox News’ Sean Hannity emphasized “Think twice” about endorsing Biden as he runs for re-election. and former GOP presidential candidate and vocal Trump supporter Vivek Ramasamy, was invited Swift and her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce are an “artificially culturally propped-up couple” who could make “a big presidential endorsement” this fall.
Some of his supporters have responded to Trump’s posts on social media to announce their intentions to vote for the former president. Trump’s campaign is tapping into that support.
Trump’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, did not mention the use of fake images in response to questions, but called “Swifties for Trump” a “massive movement that’s growing bigger every day.”
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Swenson reported from New York.
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