Last week, an AI video surfaced on social media of Vermont Rep. Becca Balint’s Republican challenger, Mark Coester, picking her up in a yunbo and throwing her in the trash. Both individuals are synthetic AI images and were not created by either campaign. This has sparked a debate across Vermont about the ethics of rendering images of people without their consent. While in Burlington on Monday, Balint, a Democrat, discussed several issues with reporters. Regarding AI advertising, she told WAMC North Country Director Pat Bradley that guardrails are needed to protect individual rights.
AI slop. There are many. Unfortunately, we haven’t put guardrails on this at the federal level, so there will be more to come, and we need to. Vermonters should know that when they see my picture, hear my voice, and see me speaking, it’s actually me. And that applies to any candidate currently running. We should do everything we can to instill trust in elections and not erode trust any further, but I feel like this kind of AI tilt is eroding the trust that Vermonters have that when they see something, an ad on social media, that it feels real.
What kind of response are you getting from voters about that AI video?
Most people absolutely hate it. It was actually interesting. I was walking down the street in Brattleboro and someone grabbed me and she said, “You know what? “I’m so angry about this. I can’t believe this is the state of our politics right now.” And she said, “I think this is very dangerous for our democracy.” It’s going to leave someone with the impression that what I’m saying, what I’ve never said, yes, what I’m saying in AI advertising, is absolutely not true. So for the most part, people have been very supportive of me, but they’re also very angry about what this means for the integrity of our elections.
Have you heard from other members of Congress, whether it’s the House or the Senate, whether they’ve experienced AI like the one that’s been put forth regarding you and Mr. Koster?
So I asked many of my colleagues for their opinions. They know that this is a sign that something terrible is about to happen to them. More broadly, AI needs guardrails. And I think many Americans don’t understand at this point that they don’t have the right to bring a private lawsuit against their images, their voices, these AI deepfakes. Therefore, I introduced the “Counterfeiting Act”. There is also a companion version for the Senate.
It’s progressing to the national level. There is probably an agreement between the US and Iran. What are your thoughts on moving forward?
We are grateful and hope that our troops will be able to return home soon. That’s what I want. I want Vermonters to come home. They shouldn’t have been at risk in the first place. My biggest concern right now is for them and their families. My second concern is that we can’t see much further ahead. We have no guarantee that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons. Contrary to what the president has said, we have not completely annihilated their military and navy. And until we find out what the actual deal is, not just a broad agreement like, “Okay, the Strait of Hormuz will open.” The Strait of Hormuz was previously open. So it feels like we’ve not only returned to where we started, we’ve gone backwards. Because the Iran nuclear deal signed under President Obama put us in a much better situation. I want this to stick. absolutely. We don’t want this to fall apart, but we’ve had so-called deals fall apart before. So in terms of my confidence level, my confidence level is very low and I don’t think we’re going to see significant price declines until the president really rethinks the tariff system.
Can you give me an update on what’s going on with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)?
So the most important thing people need to know is that the bill that was pushed through by the president and his Republican colleagues did not include any additional accountability. Why is ICE, as a so-called law enforcement agency, being allowed to operate under policies that are inconsistent with other law enforcement agencies in this country? I think this is another means of terrorizing communities in Vermont and across the country and trying to force us into submission because we will stop resisting.
How optimistic are you about the possibility of a blue wave during the general election, especially given the dire situation we’re seeing across the country?
I’m more concerned about the gerrymandering that’s happened and the Supreme Court watering down the Voting Rights Act. Many of my colleagues in Congress will not be coming back, not because they lost the election, but because they were literally wiped off the map. I’m still optimistic because the general polls show Democrats are up 10 to 15 points right now and I think that’s going to make a difference. Will there be waves? Uncertain. It feels like we’re going to take control of the House and hopefully start putting guardrails and barriers in place for this administration.
The Vermont Legislature passed a bill this session that would require disclosure of the use of synthetic media published within 90 days of an election. Act 75 It went into effect when Governor Phil Scott signed it on March 5th.
