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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: US – POLITICAL DEEPFAKES
HEADLINE: US Election Commission Not Acting on Deepfakes in Campaign Ads
TEASER: Federal Election Commission says it lacks jurisdiction
BYLINE: Deana Mitchell
PUBLISHED: 06/27/2023 at 6:50 p.m.
DATELINE: Austin, Texas
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER: Deana Mitchell
SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, DLJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S):
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:29
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: Reporter has permissions to use “Verify” clip))
[[((INTRO:)) The commission that enforces rules for U.S. elections is not regulating AIgenerated deepfakes in political advertising ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Deana Mitchell has our story.
((NARRATOR))
This is a political video from the "DeSantis WarRoom" campaign that experts say
includes deepfake images showing former President Donald Trump hugging his former
chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is running against Trump in the race for the U.S.
Republican presidential nomination.
((Courtesy--Twitter/DeSantis WarRoom))
((Courtesy: VERIFY with YouTube logo))
The images were examined by the misinformation debunking show “Verify,” which used
a reverse image search to determine that three of the images are fake.
((Voice of Casey Decker, VERIFY Reporter))
((Courtesy: VERIFY with YouTube logo))
"If you look more closely at the pictures, you can see more evidence they are AIgenerated. Instead of saying White House, it says Mephap. AI often has trouble
generating accurate text. In this one, Trump's hand is missing a thumb."
((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy: Twitter/DeSantis War Room))
With the power of generative AI growing, so too will these types of fake images meant
to sway voters, says Lisa Gilbert of the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization
Public Citizen.
((Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen Executive Vice President))
((Mandatory Zoom))
“One of the things that artificial intelligence is able to do, particularly generative AI, is
create easily deep fakes so you know–video or audio–that looks incredibly real,
impossible to discern with the naked eye from a real video.”
((NARRATOR))
((Mandatory CG: FEC.gov))
So, the Public Citizen group asked the U.S. Federal Election Commission to establish
rules for campaign ads that use computer-generated fake images--as they could
misrepresent a candidate’s political views, which is already illegal.
On June 22, the commission that enforces U.S. election rules voted to take no action.
Commissioner Allen Dickerson, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump,
told the meeting that they have no jurisdiction over the matter.
((Allen Dickerson, FEC Commissioner))
“Congress has given us very sharply limited authority. Our jurisdiction on this point is
limited to instances where a campaign fraudulently misrepresents itself as acting, quote,
on behalf of any other candidate. They should take this up with Congress.”
((NARRATOR))
Public Citizen called the inaction quote a “shocking failure even for a notoriously
feckless agency.” Gilbert says political electioneering is at a turning point with
generative AI.
((Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen Executive Vice President))
((Mandatory Zoom))
“It's kind of like the moment the internet was invented. We're about to see a sea of
change. And imagine if that when the internet was invented, we knew what we know
now about its impact and we had been able to create appropriate guardrails to protect
people then? That's the moment we’re in.”
((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy--Twitter/DeSantis WarRoom))
There is currently a bill in Congress that would require political advertising to announce
if generative AI was used to create any of its images or videos.
((Deana Mitchell for VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsPolitics, Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
RightsReuters, AP, FOX,
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington, DC
Embargo DateJune 28, 2023 11:35 EDT
BylineDeanna Mitchell
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
