Trump supporters rely on AI fakes

The widespread AI images of Trump

Supporters of former US President Donald Trump have spread artificially generated images depicting him in a positive light alongside black voters. These photos, shared on social platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, may be intended to increase Trump's popularity in the African American community.

Some of the images are obviously fake, with features such as distorted hands or meaningless symbols that betray their artificial origins.

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These actions come against the backdrop of the upcoming presidential election, in which Trump and Biden are competing for the votes of the black electorate.

The problem behind AI images

The distribution of artificially created images to support political campaigns raises serious questions about ethics and responsibility in digital communication. Experts warn of the dangers of such deepfakes, which can not only manipulate public opinion but also undermine trust in authentic media content.

The use of AI to create such images without clearly labeling them as fake or AI-generated violates basic journalistic principles and ethical standards. It's also a sign of how technology can be misused to influence political narratives.

Despite the obvious fakery of the artificially generated images, some people believe that these images are authentic.

Fact check

An account called “Trump History” regularly posts photos created using AI in which Trump can be seen with African Americans, without mentioning that they were artificially created. The profile description reads: “Documenting the history of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump (parody)” / “Documenting the history of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump (parody)”

This account appears to be the author of the images currently circulating. In the picture of the men on the porch, a subtle watermark can be seen on the black shirt of the man on the right. A post on his account also points this out.

As you can see from the account's images, some of them are clearly intended to be humorous and present Trump in seemingly absurd historical contexts, including a scene in which he appears next to Martin Luther King Jr.

Comments on posts that appear more realistic indicate that many viewers are mistaking them for real.

This highlights the need for increased education about media literacy and the critical handling of information in the digital age.

Questions and answers on the topic of fake AI images

Question 1: What are the goals of Trump supporters behind the distribution of AI-generated images of the ex-president with black voters that are believed to be real?
Answer 1: The goal is to increase Trump's popularity among black voters and positively influence his image. – Not knowing that these are not real recordings.

Question 2: How to detect AI-generated counterfeits?
Answer 2: Look out for abnormalities such as deformed hands or nonsensical symbols that indicate an artificial origin.

Question 3: Why is using fake images problematic?
Answer 3: They undermine trust in authentic media and manipulate public opinion in misleading ways.

Question 4: How are social media and technology companies responding to this challenge?
Answer 4: Some companies have committed to working together to prevent AI content from becoming disinformation weapons in election campaigns.

Question 5: What can individuals do to protect themselves from disinformation?
Answer 5: Promote media literacy, critically question information and use trustworthy sources.

Conclusion

The dissemination of artificially generated images in a political context poses a serious challenge to democracy. It is crucial that both voters and platform operators handle information responsibly and are committed to educating people about risks and identifying misinformation.

Source: BBC , Spiegel , Gizmodo

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