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At some point during the 2024 Presidential Election battle, a damning tape or audio clip will probably surface. And one or more of the candidates will have to prove that it is an AI deepfake. 

The evidence may be real or possibly a sinister AI creation built by astonishingly lifelike generative AI models.

Generative AI experts assure us that they possess the tools to detect these fraudsters, but proving the authenticity of a recording remains an elusive endeavor. 

The real question is whether such evidence will truly matter to partisan voters, especially those quick to discard any information that contradicts their deeply entrenched worldviews.

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Deepfake audio, those eerily authentic yet entirely false recordings constructed from snippets of someone speaking, have achieved a level of realism that can deceive even those who know you best.

This poses a grave threat to the political landscape, offering nefarious actors the potential to manipulate and deceive on a grand scale.

AI developers are sounding the alarm. They warn that the rapid advancement and widespread use of this technology risks ushering in an “epistemological dystopia”, one that threatens the very foundations of representative democracy. 

AI deepfake and politics

Hany Farid, a generative AI expert at the University of California, Berkeley, emphasized the high stakes on political campaigns. This is where state-sponsored actors, campaigns, trolls, supporters, and PACs all vie to gain the upper hand through any means necessary.

During testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman labeled AI's capacity to generate personalized disinformation as one of his most profound concerns. 

A United Nations adviser went so far as to express deep apprehension about the possibility of a deepfake October surprise.

The manipulation of media to mislead voters is not a new concept, and it doesn't necessarily require AI. Campaign attack ads have a long history of employing unflattering imagery and creative editing to cast opponents as shifty-eyed deceivers.

However, generative AI will supercharge these abilities, enabling campaigns and their supporters to produce eerily convincing fabrications.

Audio and visual deepfakes

Replicating a specific person's voice in a convincing manner was a near-impossibility just a few years ago. Even the most talented impressionists could only get close.