Elon Musk is being accused of violating his own policy on X by posting a fake video of Vice President Kamala Harris.
But the billionaire is defending his actions, saying it was a parody and therefore OK to post.
Musk shared a fake video of Harris that uses an artificial intelligence (AI) voice like Harris’ that then insults her campaign and President Biden, per The Hill.
Musk shared the video Friday. It features a voiceover that calls Biden “senile” and Harris the “ultimate diversity hire.”
There is no disclaimer on the video Musk shared stating it uses AI for Harris’s voice. The original post was from @MrReaganUSA, which labeled it a parody.
Since there was no such distinction in Musk’s post,
It appears to violate X’s policy about “misleading media.”
The Harris campaign spoke out about the video.
“We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump,” said Mia Ehrenberg, campaign spokesperson.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said videos should like this one should be against the law.
“Manipulating a voice in an ‘ad’ like this one should be illegal,” he posted on X. “I’ll be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is.”
Musk responded to Newsom’s pledge to ban the videos early Monday morning.
“I checked with renowned world authority, Professor Suggon Deeznutz, and he said parody is legal in America,” Musk wrote.
The video hits on several fronts against Harris.
“I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate,” the mock voice said in the video. “I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I’m both a woman and a person of color, so if you criticize anything, I say you’re both sexist and racist.”
Federal regulators have been concerned about the use of deepfake technology to impersonate people, such as politicians.
This came to light after a New Hampshire man used Biden’s voice in a robocall in an effort to stunt turnout in the state’s primary election earlier this year.
Public Citizen co-President Robert Weissman said a post like this could very well mislead the public.
“I don’t think that’s obviously a joke,” Weissman said. “I’m certain that most people looking at it don’t assume it’s a joke. The quality isn’t great, but it’s good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real.”
Weissman said the video is “the kind of thing that we’ve been warning about.”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week issued a proposal to force advertisers to disclose the use of AI in advertisements on TV and radio.
AI voices are already banned in robocalls.
“Bad actors are already using AI technology in robocalls to mislead consumers and misinform the public. That’s why we want to put in place rules that empower consumers to avoid this junk and make informed decisions,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said earlier in July.
