WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 With the 2024 election looming, the first since the mass popularization of generative artificial intelligence, experts feared the worst: social media flooded with AI-generated deepfakes that were so realistic, baffled voters wouldn鈥檛 know what to believe.
So far, that hasn鈥檛 happened. Instead, what voters are seeing is far more absurd: A video of former President Donald Trump riding a cat while wielding an assault rifle. A mustachioed Vice President Kamala Harris dressed in communist attire. Trump and Harris sharing a passionate embrace.
AI is playing a major role in the presidential campaign, even if the greatest fears about how it could threaten the U.S. presidential election haven鈥檛 materialized yet. regularly ricochet around the web, but many of them are so cartoonish and absurd that even the most na茂ve viewer couldn鈥檛 take them seriously.
Still, even these memes can be problematic. Eye-catching AI-generated photos and videos, some striving to be funny, have become useful tools for spreading false, sometimes racist messages with a clear political bent 鈥 and candidates and their supporters are among those sharing them on social media.
For example, Trump and many of his allies not only repeatedly promoted the that Haitian migrants are stealing and eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, they also spread related AI-generated memes. One shared by Trump鈥檚 Truth Social account showed him on a luxury jet, surrounded by cats and white ducks. Another showed a group of kittens holding a sign that read, 鈥淒ON鈥橳 LET THEM EAT US, Vote for Trump!鈥
Francesca Tripodi, an expert in online propaganda, said such AI-made images are new, viral vehicles to carry age-old anti-immigration narratives.
鈥淭he memes that are amplifying this claim are anything but humorous. When you have elected officials who are utilizing this imagery as a way of perpetuating racism and xenophobia, that鈥檚 a huge problem,鈥 said Tripodi, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Republicans defend the images as lighthearted jokes 鈥 and byproducts of Trump鈥檚 personality.
鈥淭here is a culture of personality surrounding Donald Trump that encourages that sort of over-the-top communication style that turns things into comical memes,鈥 said Caleb Smith, a Republican strategist. 鈥淭he intent is to entertain, not to deceive. That is what it should be.鈥
Not just Trump supporters
Trump and his supporters aren鈥檛 the only ones creating AI memes, but they appear to be using AI image generators more than their Democratic counterparts. Some left-leaning users have posted AI images making fun of billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X and an outspoken supporter of Trump鈥檚 campaign. Democrats also of Trump in handcuffs and being chased by police when he was in court in Manhattan last year.
But Kamala Harris鈥 campaign has not leaned into amplifying AI-generated content, sticking instead to TikTok trends and other memes that don鈥檛 require AI models to create.
鈥淐urrently, the only authorized campaign use of generative AI is for productivity tools, such as data analysis and industry-standard coding assistance,鈥 said Harris campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung did not respond to specific questions from The Associated Press but said its strategy had not changed since May, when he provided an emailed statement saying the campaign did not 鈥渆ngage or utilize鈥 tools supplied by any AI company.
Using fake, entertaining, often preposterous images to score political points is hardly new. But unlike cobbled-together Photoshop images or political cartoons, AI-generated images pack a stronger punch with their hyperrealism and can draw new attention to a political message.
While some of the images related to pets in Springfield were cartoonish and silly, many felt they perpetuated a damaging conspiracy theory about a community that has since received prompting evacuations of schools and government buildings.
鈥淢emes that are obviously parody are one thing. It鈥檚 another where it鈥檚 obviously intended to deceive,鈥 said Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and vocal Trump critic. 鈥淎nd we already see the Trump campaign really blurring the line.鈥
AI makes it easy
The speed and accessibility of generative AI tools make it easy to create outlandish political content that can drive clicks and likes. With AI image generators accessible to anyone with an internet connection, they are a cheap and convenient way for campaigns to respond to online trends and hammer home a message.
鈥淐ampaigns have had to deal with disinformation and misinformation for a very long time. 鈥 It鈥檚 not a new problem. But obviously what AI allows is for this stuff to do done more rapidly, perhaps more convincingly, and in a more targeted environment,鈥 said Teddy Goff, the digital director of Barack Obama鈥檚 2012 reelection campaign.
Paul Ingrassia, a New York-based political commentator and lawyer, said he spun up a viral image of Trump emerging from a lion鈥檚 den in seconds by prompting Grok, then dropped it into his newsletter and sent it to Trump campaign staffers. Trump鈥檚 Truth Social account posted Ingrassia鈥檚 newsletter, including the image, that day.
鈥淚 got a message from my point of contact with the president and they said: 鈥楾he president loved the image, how did you make it? Who created it?鈥 And I said: 鈥極h, I did. I made that for the article,鈥欌 Ingrassia said. 鈥淎nd he said, 鈥楰eep up the great work, he loves it.鈥欌
The use of AI for political satire and propaganda isn鈥檛 limited to the U.S. and .
More sinister deepfakes also have sought to influence races around the world. In Slovakia last year, AI audio clips impersonated the liberal party chief talking about rigging the vote days before parliamentary elections. In New Hampshire's primary in January, audio deepfakes of President Joe Biden were , urging them not to vote. The incident was quickly publicized and .
Trump鈥檚 embrace of AI-generated images counters some of his past commentary. In an interview on Fox Business this year, Trump called artificial intelligence 鈥渧ery dangerous鈥 and 鈥渟o scary鈥 because 鈥渢here鈥檚 no real solution鈥 to the issues created by the advancing technology.
And some Republicans have fretted about how Trump and the GOP are using AI to create political memes.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 engage in memes. I never have. I never will,鈥 said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican in a competitive district outside Philadelphia. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 believe in it.鈥
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Swenson reported from New York.
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This story is part of an Associated Press series, 鈥淭he AI Campaign,鈥 exploring the influence of artificial intelligence in the 2024 election cycle.
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