Deepfakes are shaking politics, with both politicians and their supporters turning to AI-generated videos, debating, attacking enemies and, worse, sharing false information. Powerful, accessible video generation tools are changing norms about whether or not to use this fake content.
Philippine ally Vice President Sarah Duterte last week shared a viral video of AI-generated characters to protect politicians struggling from the looming ammo each trial. The video featured two AI-generated boys who criticize the Merger Each Trial as an example of “political motivation” and “selective” justice.
The video was quickly exposed as a “deepfake,” and Presidential Palace spokesman Claire Castro denounced politicians for sharing disinformation and fake news.
The Vice President took another tack and told reporters that he thought it was OK for AI to share the video generated by the AI to do so unless profits were made. Sen. Ronald Della Rosa, who shared the video, also defended his actions: “Even if it's AI… I agree with the points,” he argued, according to AFP.
Another viral video starring an older woman, who was generated by AI, took a supplementary stance.
This political front and back is the latest development of Sara Duterte's bluff each saga. The daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been accused of corruption, misusing public funds and threatening to assassinate former allies. If current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is officially fired, Duterte will be removed from his position and banned from lifelong politics.
On June 10, the Philippine Senate introduced the Duterte each case to the country's House of Representatives within hours of convening the trial, calling for clarification of its constitutionality. In early February, the lower body voted Duterte for the bluff each.
On Friday, House prosecutors asked the Senate to proceed with the trial.
It's not the first time that deepfakes have appeared in Philippine politics. Last year, an AI-created video of President Marcos taking illegal drugs went viral. The National Police Anti Cyber Crime Group is currently investigating another Deepfark from Marcos, promoting its online trading platform.
Political campaigns clearly embrace AI-generated content. Trump's campaign shared images of candidates who were supported by Taylor Swift on a lion ahead of last year's presidential election. Trump administration officials continue to share cartoons generated by AI on social media to create political points.
AI-generated videos have been widely reported in Pakistan, India, Korea, Singapore, and more. Last year, Indonesia's political party Golkar created a depth of former president Suharto in favor of the candidate. (Sharto passed away in 2008).
Still, the AI-generated video about Duterte's blast each doesn't pretend to be real people, instead creating avatars to express political opinions.
The creators of last week's viral video defended the use of AI for these reasons. Bernard Senoship, who created a video to support the Merger Each Trial, told AFP that these avatars allowed people to express their opinions while avoiding criticism. The person behind the Schoolboy video, defending Duterte, claimed to the press that the shared views were collected from actual students.
