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A FIANNA FÁIL Senator has warned that the public needs to be vigilant to misinformation and deepfakes ahead of the upcoming general election.
And while Senator Malcolm Byrne said he “laughed” at Michael Healy-Rae’s recent use of a Taylor Swift deepfake, he added that it “raises attention around the use of deepfakes”.
Deepfakes are digitally manipulated images, video and audio that are designed to create fake material featuring the likeness of an individual, often to misrepresent their views or speech.
On Monday, Healy-Rae posted a deepfake video to X which appeared to show popstar Taylor Swift stating that if she could vote in Ireland, “it would be for only one man, that’s Michael Healy-Rae”.
“You know what, the Tay-Tay loves the Healy-Rae,” added the deepfake.
Some going to wake up to the news of an endorsement from Tay Tay herself. I mean haters will say it's fake (and they'd be right) but I'll just shake it off! Like, I'm not looking for a love story and don't want any bad blood.. I just want your number 1 vote when the time comes! pic.twitter.com/FgxUlpTjUo
— Michael Healy-Rae (@MHealyRae) October 28, 2024
The video posted by Healy-Rae is a crude, unconvincing deepfake and the Independent TD for Kerry isn’t trying to trick people into believing it is an actual endorsement.
“I mean haters will say it’s fake (and they’d be right) but I’ll just shake it off!” writes Healy-Rae in the caption accompanying the post on X.
“Anyone who’s looking would realise that it’s not Taylor Swift endorsing a particular candidate,” Malcolm Byrne told The Journal.
“But the worry I have is that we could be in the middle of an election campaign, and a credible deepfake could emerge of a political leader appearing to say something controversial.
“Because of the way social media operates, the deepfake will be shared thousands of times before a statement of fact could be out there and it would have the potential to impact on an election campaign.”
Byrne noted that AI images have been used in recent elections in Argentina.
The campaign team of Argentina’s presidential candidate Sergio Massa fed the following promt into an AI program prior to last year’s election: “Sovietic Political propaganda poster illustration by Gustav Klutsis featuring a leader, masssa, standing firmly.”
“The image exudes authority and determination,” the prompt continued.
In the general election last year to become president of Argentina, Massa won 36.6% of votes to Javier Milei’s 29.9%, but was defeated by Milei in the November run-off.
Byrne warned that AI has the potential to “supercharge” misinformation and disinformation around elections.
“We tend to trust what we see and read, and particularly when more and more convincing deepfakes are created, that could have an impact on an election,” said Byrne.
“There has to be much more public awareness around misinformation, questioning sources, and the potential of deepfakes.”
Byrne said he has spoken to a number of tech platforms and added that they will “do what they can” to combat AI misinformation during the general election campaign.
However, he also said there is a “big obligation on the Electoral Commission to inform people about this issue”.
Byrne also pointed to the broadcast moratorium as another “critical factor”.
The Electoral Commission has recommended that the broadcast moratorium be removed from future referendums.
The broadcast moratorium means radio and television broadcasters cannot report on elections or referendums from 2pm the day before polls open until the close of polls.
This does not apply to online media or social media.
“If something that is patently false is being distributed widely on social media in the immediate hours before people go to the polls, at present under the moratorium, broadcast media can’t mention it,” said Byrne.
He has called for a “real debate around how we respond to AI as a society” to ensure that the “necessary safeguards are in place”.
“This is one of those big picture topics,” said Byrne, “and I’m always surprised that it doesn’t feature in a big way given that the next Government will have to deal with it.”
Following the first, and only, US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Taylor Swift addressed AI-generated images shared by Trump that falsely depicted Swift endorsing his campaign.
She said it “conjured up” her fears around AI and misinformation.
When asked if Healy-Rae’s use of Swift’s likeness was misguided given the popstar’s apprehension around AI deepfakes, Byrne replied that he didn’t think it was.
But he added: “If somebody created a credible deepfake of Michael Healy-Rae declaring that himself and his brother, Danny, were going to become vegans and actively campaign against climate change, I’m not quite certain it would be seen in as much of a humorous light.
“I laughed at it, but it does show that we are probably going to see more deepfakes.”
Byrne also noted that a number of “prominent personalities in Ireland have been purported to be advertising particular products online which they certainly weren’t associated with”.
In one instance, video footage of an RTÉ interview with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was turned into a deepfake which falsely appeared to show McDonald talking about a “successful project” which prominent Irish celebrities had used to “multiply their assets”.
In a statement to The Journal, the Electoral Commission said that “a fundamental principle of any election is that the citizens have confidence in the democratic process and trust the result”.
The spokesperson added that in advance of the general election campaign, the Electoral Commission “will seek to publish suggested guidance for parties, candidates and platforms in respect of the standards expected during these Dáil elections, including ‘deepfake’ content”.
“An Coimisiún will also be running our own public awareness campaigns to highlight these issues to voters directly, as well as the need for each of us to identify our own trusted sources of information for any issues associated with the election,” added the spokesperson.
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Great to see SF and Mary Lou are finished and she is getting the bullet in the coming weeks.
@Trump24: You’re in the wrong country, that’s the USA.
@Trump24: Like when you said 2 weeks ago they wouldnt get near FFG either?
Jesus, enough with FG’s obsession with sinn fein. I don’t like them myself & have never voted for them but enough is enough.
@Matt D: Someone senior in FG needs to take this lad aside & explain that there is a time to bite your tongue, a time to listen, a time to show humility & a time to speak honestly. I am no fan of SF, but surely, he could have let this go by, counting isn’t even completed ! His constant need for making news feeds & media is actually a turn off for people & he needs a little bit of reflection as his own cock ups have cost his colleagues & his party, many seats. Who is advising this lad, I know he has surrounded himself with people from Irish MSM, but Harris & his party & actually SF as well, might be better off getting ordinary people in to advise them, as they can’t seem to connect with ordinary people or how to deliver a message. Get some real life advisors Simon.
Just saying Sinn Fein makes him and Micheal Martin stiff.
It would be satisfying to see FG suffer, given their lies during the recession at a point when the people of Ireland were at their most vulnerable, and persistence with austerity taxes when the country is awash with excess tax take year after year.
Hopefully Gerry parks beside Simon every day in the Dail and smiles at him going in. Will be hilarious!
Looks like the “FFG” line has been overplayed. In so far as that entity exists, it seems on course to be by far the largest party.
@Terry McClatchey: Insofar as it exists, it will be the largest party? A politician wouldn’t put it better
They Don’t Get It…Reign In RTE and the Energy Companies. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
That’s right Harris keep snipping….
Wonder will Martin be dumb enough to say for a second time after an election he wont jump into bed with their partners for life FG or does FF and its leadership actually have the cop on to admit they are the same two cheeks and one wont survive without the other any more
Harris can spin this anyway he wants the knives will still be out for his tea boy backside……his gaff a week ago almost backfired badly, even leaky leo wouldnt have done that
@Patrick Newell: he should get no votes,
Haven’t seen a Fianna Gael surge either and all those massive problems will still be there if independents and parties are willing to sell their souls
Great to see all the Fianna Fail men getting elected, the country could do with real men like Fianna Fail men
@Fintan Pox: What country? FF has and continues to destroy Ireland
@Fintan Pox: your surname is apt
@Fintan Pox: good man the extra strength glue really taking ya to another level of deluded
@Mayo seem to be the football equivalent of Waterfo:
We’ve never had it so good.
@Dave G Doe: how does a party that lost the election become a winner in literally anyone’s eyes ? How? They came third.
During the American election we were saying if Trump was the best that they had to offer they are mad. Now the Irish people have voted Harris AGAIN
This gimp scraped through on the 15th count in 2020. Can anybody who voted him please tell me what he has done in 4 years to deserve this huge vote?. It shows ,once again, how affluent voters truly do not give a damn about the rest of people and the bigger issues this clown and his party have caused. Homelessness,illegal immigration, hospital lists and young adults still living at home due to FFG policies prohibiting them ever buying a house are things that don’ bother his supporters. How stupid people really are.
Ya fine gael and fianna fails vote are 50% down in last 10 years, they had to join up and when the rest of the idiots die off they’ll have a lot less votes thank god. Wel done Ireland ye are clueless
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