AI political fakery sparks fears for US 2024 race

A fake image of Donald Trump’s arrest. A dystopian video of a dark future in the event of Joe Biden’s reelection. An audio deepfake of both men slinging insults. Fast-evolving AI technology could turbocharge misinformation in US political campaigns, observers say.

The 2024 presidential race is expected to be the first American election that will see the widespread use of advanced tools powered by artificial intelligence that have increasingly blurred the boundaries between fact and fiction.

Campaigns on both sides of the political divide are likely to harness this technology — which is cheap, easily accessible and whose advances have vastly outpaced regulatory responses — for voter outreach and to churn out fundraising newsletters within seconds.