You may have seen an AI-generated video circulating on social media depicting a dystopian future under a hypothetical administration led by Republican gubernatorial front-runner Rep. Byron Donald, suggesting the state would be filled with data centers and marijuana dispensaries.
The video then transitions to an AI-generated depiction of Florida Lieutenant Governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jay Collins, wearing a Captain America uniform, stepping in to save the day.
The video, shared by an account associated with Collins’ gubernatorial campaign, raises new questions about how AI-generated content will be used ahead of the upcoming election.
>>> Stream Action News JAX LIVE <<
“We’re kind of in the Wild West of political advertising right now,” says Dr. Matthew Corrigan, a political science professor at Jacksonville University.
Corrigan argued that Floridians should expect more AI-generated content in the coming weeks and months.
“Essentially, anyone with a laptop can become a mean, tough political consultant,” Corrigan said. “And the campaign just has to forward these videos, and obviously what they want is for something to go viral.”
An account called Collins War Room posted the video earlier this week with the caption: “Our supporters have outdone themselves in this!”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Under the new state law, “election communications” that use AI that “appear to depict a real person performing an action that did not actually occur” with the purpose of “harming a candidate” will be accompanied by a disclaimer explaining that AI was used to generate the content.
The video shared by the Collins War Room account contained no such message.
Asked whether the campaign should have included a disclaimer, a spokesperson for the Collins campaign said, “The campaign did not create this content, so we believe it was a re-sharing of articles and favorable news outlets about Jay.”
Corrigan said it’s difficult to say whether the campaign should have included a disclaimer, given that the law is so new and untested.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
But he expects the law could be tested before the race is over.
“But the bottom line is we’re in a new world. Viewers are in a new world where they’re trying to figure out what’s accurate information,” Corrigan said.
Action News Jax reached out to Donald’s campaign and asked if they would like to respond to the video shared by the Collins War Room account.
The camp declined to respond.
click here To download the free Action News Jax news and weather app, click here Download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here Stream Action News Jax live.
