Call for AI rules after mayor creates fake video

The fake video of the city council mayor has sparked calls for stricter rules on the use of AI video in politics.

A video in the middle of the row showed Mayor Ashley Bowkett saying she would not have councilors investigate the “8 million pounds that are missing this year”, then laughing at the camera.

This refers to Gloucester City Council, which is seeking a government bailout over years of repeated overspending, prompting calls for new AI rules by the former mayor and council leaders.

Independent councilor Alastair Chambers, who created the video, has been sidelining the video because of disagreements over when a debate on the city’s finances should take place in December or January.

The incident has been reported to the council’s monitoring officer, but Mr Chambers said he had not been made aware of the complaint.

Former Conservative mayor Cathy Williams said the role was apolitical and “it’s very difficult to make too much of a fuss about it while you’re in office.”

She wants stricter rules regarding parliamentary meetings and professional standards in AI.

“AI is a new tool,” Williams said. “There are advantages to helping people, but there are also disadvantages.”

Digital Resistance is a Western-based company that seeks to protect people who are vulnerable to AI threats by providing digital education to help people become aware of AI threats.

Founder James Vincent said technology is advancing too quickly for society to be able to tell what’s real and what’s fake.

“Especially when it comes to AI politics, we need laws that actually protect individuals from politicians and people in power creating and distributing this kind of content,” Vincent said.

The business owner also believes there should be more regulation on the publication of AI content in general.

The Liberal Democrats condemned the video, with Gloucester City Council leader Jeremy Hilton comparing it to “psychological bullying”.

Mr Hilton said: “This is an attempt to cause psychological bullying against the Mayor of Gloucester and the councilor in question should be ashamed.”

In a subsequent statement, the mayor clarified that he had “not refused talks at any point.”

Mr Bowkett said “a special meeting should be held” but felt the January meeting would give councilors more time to “consider and reflect” on the financial information provided.

The emergency debate was finally held in December after discussions with Conservative Party leader Stephanie Chambers, and Bowkett ultimately agreed.

Chambers said the video was “not a deepfake, but a recreation of what was said.”

“Since then, I’ve talked to the mayor about it, we’ve shaken hands, we’ve had a little hug, so the mayor can’t make too much of a fuss about it,” he said.

On whether Mr Chambers had engaged in “psychological bullying”, as Hilton claimed, Mr Chambers said Mr Hilton had “created smoke and mirrors” and wanted to “cover up the fact” that the regime had “lost” millions of pounds.

The Liberal Democrats dispute this claim, citing old debt as the culprit.

Regarding the use of artificial intelligence in politics, Chambers said AI is an important tool and he doesn’t mind people making fake videos of themselves.

“I have a rugby buddy who posted a video of me running around in a women’s bikini, which is totally fine. Please keep posting.”

The government has recently been in a battle with social media platform X over its AI service Grok.

The government has already made a number of additions to the Online Safety Act and hinted at tougher regulations, but it is not clear what those will look like.