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Artificial intelligence content increases as election nears

AI content increasing as election nears

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The amount of deep fake and artificial intelligence-created content is increasing as we get closer to Election Day.

A professor at Purdue University is tracking what’s out there.

A lot of the AI-generated content connected to the election is being used as a form of entertainment, but the technology could still be used to more dangerous ways.

One of the AI generated images being spread across the internet appears to show Kamala Harris speaking to a crowd in Chicago with the red flags of communist Russia flying in the background.

Purdue professor Daniel Schiff said, “Arguably, this is meant to be something like satire. Something like entertainment. It’s not meant to be taken literally. Even though many of us would come and see, ‘Oh, this is clearly not a real instance of Kamala Harris doing something,’ there are people who may believe this kind of messaging.”

Another deep fake was reposted by former President Trump on his social media platform.

“Taylor Swift fans for Trump. Ranging from quite credible looking images to ones that are more just meant to be symbolic. This one Trump says. ‘I accept,’ this support presumably,” Schiff said.

Schiff has identified a list of different things that posts like these are trying to achieve.

“Some of them might be trying to invigorate your sort of political supporters. Rally your supporters against the opposition. Others may be trying to invoke this informational uncertainty,” Schiff said.

To show how hard it is to tell the difference between real and fake Schiff put I-Team 8 through a quiz.

“So, seven out of 10; that’s pretty solid,” Schiff said. “I got a 7 out of 10 also despite studying this stuff.”

Even though a majority of AI deep fakes circulating on the web are more for entertainment purposes, Schiff is concerned it won’t stay that way as Election Day draws closer.

Could it get more insidious?

“We don’t know what will happen, but it certainly could get more insidious. Biggest worry is even if we’re not getting anything crazy right now what’s to stop Russia from putting 1,000 images of fake ballots or illegal voters or whatever right around the election,” Schiff said.

Schiff and his students are going to be monitoring deep fakes online as Election Day approaches. They’ll also be studying how affective the posts are at swaying how the public thinks.