Are 'Deep Fakes' A National Security Issue? How Democrats Are Responding To AI

Democrats in Washington, D.C. are forming a new group focused on artificial intelligence (AI).

According to a CNBC, the so-called "New Democrat Coalition" — headed by Derek Kilmer, a Democrat from Washington — will focus on deep fakes, which it deems a national security issue.

What Are Deep Fakes? Deep fakes are videos or pictures that are generated with AI, but use real people’s faces and appear natural. For example, people have been using AI generators to create videos that look and sound like former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, but are actually fake. See below:

About 96% of deep fake videos are pornographic and nonconsensual, per a 2019 report from Reg Media. Typically, these types of videos include celebrities or other recognizable public figures. With the rise of AI tools, there are concerns that there could be a rise of “deep fake” videos featuring private citizens as well.

Another potential concern is the use of AI in political messaging and advertisements. A recent Ron DeSantis ad featured an AI-produced Trump voice, reading one of Trump’s posts on social media.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota recently introduced a bill that would require producers to disclose if AI was used in videos. Earlier this year, a fake image produced using AI of an explosion at the Pentagon caused a dip in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA: SPY) and the overall market.

The Dem’s 97-person group will also focus on issues such as retraining workers who lose jobs to AI, according to the report.

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