Kamala Harris Deepfake Video | Elon Musk Faces Criticism Over Deepfake Kamala Harris Video

Introduction

Elon Musk shared a deep fake video spoofing Vice President Kamala Harris on X, despite owning the platform. The post appears to violate the platform's policies against synthetic and manipulated media. The altered video modifies a recent campaign video by Harris, making it sound like she said things she did not, such as being the "ultimate diversity hire" and having Joe Biden as a mentor.

The original account that posted the video labeled it as a "Kamala Harris campaign ad parody," a disclaimer that might prevent it from violating X's policies. However, this context did not appear in Elon Musk's repost.

In an already chaotic election season, this incident underscores one of the most pressing issues facing the upcoming U.S. elections: Deep fake videos. The manipulated video, which uses AI technology to mimic Harris’s voice, falsely depicts her saying derogatory things about President Biden and herself.

The altered video is the opposite of the original, titled "We Choose Freedom," which focused on Harris's campaign themes and proposals. The original video garnered 22 million views, whereas the fake has accumulated 129 million views and counting.

An X user known as Mr. Reagan originally shared the AI-altered video, captioning it as a parody, though Musk's reshare lacked this disclaimer. Many argue that Musk's post violates X's policies against synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.

California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by stating that manipulating voices in ads should be illegal and announced plans to sign a bill to ensure this. Musk's response was quick, asserting that parodies are legal in America.

With less than 100 days to go until the U.S. elections, artificial intelligence is becoming a pressing issue in politics. The deep fake video shared by Musk exemplifies AI's capabilities and how such technology can undermine voter trust in a time of declining voter engagement globally.

Keywords

• Elon Musk
• Kamala Harris
• Deep fake video
• AI technology
• U.S. elections
• Manipulated media
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Campaign video
• California
• Gavin Newsom
• Voter trust

FAQ

Q1: What did Elon Musk share on X? A1: Elon Musk shared a deep fake video spoofing Vice President Kamala Harris.

Q2: Did Elon Musk's post violate any policies? A2: Yes, the post appears to violate X’s policies against synthetic and manipulated media.

Q3: What was altered in the video? A3: The video was altered to make it sound like Kamala Harris said things she did not, such as being the "ultimate diversity hire."

Q4: How many views did the fake video accumulate? A4: The fake video accumulated 129 million views and counting.

Q5: What was California Governor Gavin Newsom's response? A5: Governor Gavin Newsom stated that manipulating voices in ads should be illegal and announced plans to sign a bill to that effect.

Q6: What was the original video titled? A6: The original video was titled "We Choose Freedom."

Q7: Who originally shared the AI-altered video? A7: The AI-altered video was originally shared by an X user known as Mr. Reagan.

Q8: How does artificial intelligence impact politics according to the article? A8: Artificial intelligence can create sophisticated deep fake videos that can undermine voter trust and complicate the political landscape.