Florida, United States

The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images. In a video released by the DeSantis War Room, the former US president can be seen hugging and even kissing the nose of his anathema, the former US chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci.

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Did Trump really kiss Fauci?

No, these images published by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' rapid response team are fake. They are generated using artificial intelligence technology and are as fake as the photos of Trump being arrested that went viral a couple of months back.

You can see them here:

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Also read | AI predicts what Donald Trump's arrest would look like. Take a look at the viral images!

What is the DeSantis War Room video all about?

The video is a criticism of Trump's failure to fire Fauci, who was the United States' top infectious disease specialist at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back when he was the president.

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Fauci's push for Covid restrictions, as per Reuters, worked to turn him into a "boogeyman" for many Conservatives. Among those criticising Fauci's policies was Trump. In October 2020, the politician went as far as calling Dr Fauci a "disaster" that has been around for "500 years".

However, in spite of the often public thrashing, Trump refrained from firing Fauci.

Is the video completely fake?

As per Reuters, the video apparently includes some real footage of the former US president's press conferences and interviews.

However, the fake AI-generated content is shown with impudence at the 25-second mark. Here, around five seconds of the 35-second video display six images of Fauci and Trump. In three of them, the two men can be seen hugging or kissing.

Watch the video here:

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How do we know these images are AI-generated?

Talking to Reuters, Matthew Stamm, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University, said that as per an analysis of traces left behind by synthetic image generators, the three images of Trump and Fauci kissing and hugging are likely AI-generated.

"Our results consistently output a decision that these images are fake," he added.

Also read | In Pics | AI creates images of world leaders as toddlers

Did Trump use AI? Is this retaliation?

It could be retaliation. Talking to Reuters, a person with knowledge of Ron DeSantis' campaign operation claimed that the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the (Florida) governor."

As per the news agency, Trump, however, has primarily shared "obviously fake" content that anyone can see isn't real. For instance, he shared an image of DeSantis riding a rhinoceros. This, according to Reuters, was a suggestion that Ron DeSantis is a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO).

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Why is this problematic?

The video fails to disclose any potential AI use. While generating someone's AI images for slander purposes is immoral in all scenarios, the use of such images in the campaign of leading candidates makes it even more problematic.

Are other political campaigns using AI-generated content?

In the ongoing US Presidential Election race, so far the only high-profile political ad generated by artificial intelligence was by the Republican National Committee. The 30-second ad was released in April. It used fake images to suggest that if President Joe Biden is re-elected, a cataclysmic scenario with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down due to crime can happen. However, the RNC disclosed that the entire thing was generated using AI.

(With inputs from agencies)

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