In an Orwellian move straight out of “1984,” a prominent leftist is floating a new strategy to “help” Americans overlook concerns about President Joe Biden’s age and cognitive abilities. Kaivan Shroff, a Democratic lawyer and guest writer at HuffPost, suggests that the Biden team use artificial intelligence to create more polished and youthful versions of the president’s speeches.
The duplicitous proposal aims to address Biden’s frequent verbal stumbles and senior moments by producing AI-generated – aka fake – videos to present a smoother and younger-looking commander in chief. This tactic, according to Shroff, would help counter discussions about Biden’s mental state, thereby “defending democracy.”
While of course there are reasonable hesitations to break this dam on the use of modern technology in presidential campaigning, the consequences of not taking this approach could be dire. Moreover, in the currently under-regulated electoral landscape, refusing to use modern tools like AI is akin to entering the boxing ring with one hand tied behind your back.
Joe Biden is old and has had a lifelong stutter. He acknowledged in a fiery rally following his debate performance: “I might not walk as easily or talk as smoothly as I used to.” This has impeded his ability to communicate with mass audiences with consistent success. AI augmentations and video renderings could serve to smooth out these bumps while allowing the Biden campaign to effectively disseminate true information about the state of our democracy and the Biden administration’s accomplishments. The president has limited time to campaign as he also focuses on running the country, and AI would be a cost-effective and efficient way to communicate his message personally and directly to voters.
Reasonably, some may challenge the use of AI as dishonest and deceptive, but the current information ecosystem is arguably no better. It may even be worse. Media outlets like the New York Post have engaged in sharing deceptively cropped viral clips of the president, dubbed ‘cheapfakes,’ to make him appear confused or weak. Though no excuse for Biden’s weak debate performance, CNN elected to allow Trump to lie for the full 90-minute debate with zero fact-checking. They offered fact-checking over an hour after the debate, which realistically, a mere fraction of the debate audience stayed tuned for. Social media outlets like Instagram and TikTok have cracked down on political content, while rightwing billionaire Elon Musk has used Twitter to amplify false information about the election and boost Republicans. Even once great institutions like The Washington Post have transitioned into Murdoch-style tabloids.
We must ask the question, are augmented AI videos that present Biden in his best form ― while sharing honest and accurate information ― really more socially damaging than our information ecosystem’s current realities? I think not.
In other words, create deepfakes to counter “misinformation” about Biden and the alleged conspiracy to keep his condition under wraps. The suggestion underscores the extent to which some are willing to go to reshape public perception and secure political advantage.
This frightening propaganda machine, if implemented, could make some Americans believe that Biden is not an addled, 81-year-old man who requires assistance to navigate simple tasks.
Instead, it could paint a false picture of a more capable and vigorous leader, further fueling debates about the ethical implications of such rapid technological advancements.
