Technology AI, Science and New Things
Campaign staff for Bangladesh’s prime minister have used AI-powered misinformation tools to spread fake news ahead of an election in January. The fabricated footage includes a clip of American diplomats supposedly interfering in the elections and opposition figures equivocating about support for Palestinians in Gaza – a potentially explosive meme given Bangladesh is more than 90 per cent Muslim. Digital misinformation distorting elections pre-dates the current AI hype cycle by years. What’s new is the ease with which political operatives in developing countries can access cutting-edge generative AI models beyond the scrutiny of election monitors, and the low cost. The FT says people working for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina created the fake clip on US diplomats using an off-the-shelf video generator created in LA by HeyGen and available for $24 per month. Another fake clip showing an opposition youth leader lying about his age used a model from Tel Aviv-based D-ID. There are more than 70 elections worldwide next year. All are vulnerable.