Voters fooled by deepfakes of Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan amid election fears
A study has found that voters can be successfully fooled by deepfakes of politicians including Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan.
Researchers showed focus groups online clips of the Labour Leader and London Mayor that were not genuine. When participants were asked their views, they said they thought they were real and raised concerns about the politicians’ behaviour.
Even when they were told that the material was fake, people argued that it reinforced their existing opinions. The study was conducted by Research Interactive on behalf of strategic communications firm Charlesbye.
Lee Cain, a former No10 Director of Communications who is Founding Partner at Charlesbye, said: “These findings show that deepfakes not only have the potential to spread disinformation but to further entrench and divide society - driving a wedge between opposing factions in what is an already polarised arena. This applies even when the deepfake is exposed.”
As part of the research, polling and focus groups were conducted with more than 8,000 people on how they consume the news. Brits continue to trust newspapers and broadcast news above other forms of media. Three-quarters (75%) ranked traditional media - defined as a TV news channel, dedicated news website or a newspaper - as their most trusted source of news.
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A similar proportion (77%) said they consumed news on a daily basis while more than two thirds (68%) read a newspaper at least once a month. Older generations are significantly more likely to stay on top of current affairs - with nearly 90% of over 55s doing so daily.
The study comes after Mr Khan warned earlier this month that a faked clip of him making inflammatory remarks before Armistice Day nearly caused serious disorder on the streets.
The London Mayor warned the law is not "fit for purpose" over the threat of deepfakes. The viral clip used artificial intelligence (AI) to replicate his voice and make it sound like he was criticising Remembrance events and demanding that pro-Palestinian marches to take precedence.
The fake audio came at a time of heightened tensions as Rishi Sunak said the pro-Palestinian marches in a different part of central London were "disrespectful" on Armistice Day. The then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded the demonstrations "hate marches".
"[The timing] couldn’t have been better if you're seeking to sow disharmony and cause problems,” he told BBC Radio 4's Why Do You Hate Me? podcast. “What was being said was a red rag to a bull for the far right and others. But what concerned me the most was if you're an innocent listener of this, because it's a secret undercover recording, in inverted commas, because it sounds like me, because of the timing and the context…. And that's why it's so serious." He added: "We almost had serious disorder."
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