The impact of deepfakes on the 2024 U.S. election is already evident, experts say, calling for the public to be more aware of potential fake content.
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, concerns about the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology on the electoral process are reaching new heights.
Deepfakes are highly convincing and deceptive digital media—typically videos, audio recordings, or images—increasingly generated using artificial intelligence, and often for misleading or fraudulent purposes.
Experts in the field of AI and deepfake detection provided The Epoch Times with valuable insights into the challenges posed by AI-generated misinformation and disinformation and the steps being taken to combat them.
Rijul Gupta, co-founder and CEO of DeepMedia_AI, highlighted the alarming rise of deepfake technology and its implications for the 2024 election.
“2024 is going to be the deepfake election in ways that previous elections weren’t,” he said. “It is only becoming prevalent in 2024, and that’s because of access to this technology. Basic versions of this technology existed in 2020, but the quality wasn’t good enough to fool people. People could still tell it was fake.”
Mr. Gupta said the quality improved in 2022 and continues to advance monthly. Content is becoming good enough that the average person could see or hear it on TikTok or YouTube and would be convinced that it’s real.
“They’re not looking for a fake,” he said. “They’re not trying to determine that it’s fake. It sounds real to them, so they just assume it’s real. But the last thing that was needed for this to really become a massive problem was access. So the first hurdle was quality, and that was just accomplished last year. The second hurdle was access.”
Now, Mr. Gupta said, tools are available online to the masses, and usually for free.
“Most of the time, you don’t even need a credit card, and you can create deep fakes of anyone in just five seconds,” he said. “That is what’s new. That’s what has just happened in the past few months—and that’s why 2024 is going to be the deepfake election.”
It’s an issue that “keeps me up at night,” Mr. Gupta said.
By Chase Smith
