The Serious Threat Of AI Fake Political Endorsement – OpEd
Recently, there has been a rise in the use of deepfakes to impersonate politicians and celebrities during elections. The intended goal is to disinform voters and sway their opinions, which poses a serious threat because many people exposed to this content are unaware of its true nature. As the midterm election approaches, the government should take necessary measures to protect citizens from this danger, and companies should be held accountable.
There are now countless examples of AI-generated fake political endorsements; for instance, in September 2024, the Federal Communications Commission fined a political consultant $6 million for creating and disseminating a fake robocall that mimicked Joe Biden and aimed to suppress voters. During the same election season, Donald Trump used an AI-generated photo of Taylor Swift endorsing him. Both Trump and Biden were subjects of AI impersonation when an ad was posted by Donnie Martinez, the Republican candidate running for Osceola County Sheriff against incumbent Sheriff Marco Lopez, that falsely claimed that they were backing him. AI was also used to fake disapproval of candidates. In December 2023, a picture of famous musician Bruce Springsteen onstage was circulated, altered to include an anti-Trump message; the original shows him in a plain t-shirt.
Several solutions are currently being implemented to counter this emerging risk; these solutions are multifaceted, given the complicated socio-technical nature of the problem.
One of the solutions to address this issue is through the legal framework. A bill has been introduced to Congress that seeks to prohibit the distribution of AI that is materially deceptive
Relating to federal candidates, the proposed bill gives candidates whose voices appear in such materials the right to bring a civil action for injunctive relief or damages. Similar bills are also considered by state legislators. The Federal Communications Commission has also proposed a rule to combat AI impersonation of individuals.
Social media platforms and AI companies, where this fabricated content is created and shared, have a big responsibility to curb it. Meta now requires full disclosure of AI-generated ads, including when showing A real person saying or doing something they didn’t, and OpenAI bans politicians and lobbyists from using its product during the election season.
But there is a need to hold these companies accountable for their stated policies, and watchdog groups play a crucial to achieve this goal. For example, in October 2025, the tech transparency project, an independent hub that explores the influence of big tech on politics, revealed that scammers are spending millions on the platform to run AI ads. The report shows that deepfake videos of President Trump, Elon Musk, and prominent Democrats are promoting fictitious government spending cards and stimulus checks. The platform is delayed in taking strong measures against this network
Another solution is fact-checking the viral AI fake political endorsement content; however, this approach could be limited because fact-checking reports take time to prepare and cannot reach everyone exposed to the AI content.
Raising awareness and educating the public about the tactics and strategies used in deepfakes is also an effective method that should be implemented alongside other solutions.
Finally, investing in AI incident report databases would be beneficial in developing a deep understanding of the nature of this problem and learning from these incidents to mitigate the harm.
Governments need to invest in all these strategies to preserve the integrity of the voting process. The next midterm election could serve as an opportunity to test and improve these solutions.
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