PA mediaIrish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has filed a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission over a “malicious deepfake” AI video.
The video was published online on Tuesday night and showed an AI version of Connolly appearing to announce his withdrawal from the election on Friday.
Mr Connolly called the video a “disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy”.
In a statement, the independent TD said he was still “definitely” a candidate to become Ireland's 10th president.
facebook“This is a shameful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy,” she said.
“I will not be distracted. I will continue to campaign in every county, meet with people, and advocate for a hopeful and inclusive presidency.”
He added: “If you've seen this video, don't share it. Report it. The surest response to a lie is to vote.”
Connolly's campaign said it reported the video to the social media platform where it was posted.
They demanded that it be removed immediately and listed as clearly fake.
“Minute clues'' reveal the origin of video AI
Alan Smeaton, emeritus professor of computing at Dublin City University and a member of the Irish government's AI advisory committee, told BBC Verify that there were “several clues” that led to the video being leaked.
“There is some overpronunciation in the lips and mouth of both Catherine Connolly and the RTÉ reporter.
“There is a slight aura around the news reporter in the third shot, probably because the background is more dynamic,” he added.
“The last sentence of the video that the election has been canceled and that Heather Humphries will win by default should raise a red flag for most people, given that most people know that even though Jim Gavin withdrew from the campaign several weeks ago, his name will still remain on the ballot.”
“Social media platforms have a lot to answer for,” he said.
“A whack-a-mole approach of deleting such videos at some point in time, whether it's an hour, a day, a week, etc., won't work.”
Who is Catherine Connolly?
Mr Connolly has been the independent TD for Galway West constituency since 2016.
She previously served as Deputy Speaker of the Dáil (Irish Parliament) in Dublin.
She was a former member of the Irish Labor Party, but resigned after not being allowed to stand alongside Michael D. Higgins in the 2007 general election.
Mr Connolly is backed by several left-wing parties and a number of independents in his candidacy for Ireland's presidency.
