“They feel real”: Political deepfakes are gaining influence – even if people know they aren’t real

OOnline content creators not only create fake images and videos of prominent public figures, they also fabricate people and use them in military contexts, which can make them money and even serve as effective propaganda, according to artificial intelligence researchers.

Some of these online avatars are sexualized images of women in camouflage clothing that have attracted large audiences and helped create an idealized image of political figures like Donald Trump, even though the viewer knows the content is not real, according to experts.

“We are merging the lines between political cartoons and reality,” said Daniel Schiff, assistant professor of technology policy at Purdue University and co-director of the Governance and Responsible AI Lab (Grail). “Many people feel that these images or videos or the stories they convey feel TRUE.”

According to a Grail database, the number of political deepfakes has increased dramatically in recent years. Since the…