ISLAMABAD: AI-generated deepfake images of Donald Trump getting arrested have gone viral on the internet in what has prompted many to ponder upon the disruptive power of artificial intelligence.
The images show the ex-US president – who is set to be charged over hush money paid to a former adult performer Stormy Daniels – making a run from authorities and getting arrested, with some depicting him struggling to escape the New York City Police Department.
The deepfakes were created using an AI text-to-image generator called Midjourney.
Eliot Higgins, the founder of Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat, shared the deepfake images on Twitter, writing “Making pictures of Trump getting arrested while waiting for Trump’s arrest.” It’s like a deepfakeception.
Higgins’ timeline of Trump’s incarcenation and eventual escape
Higgins event went so far to make an entire storyline of the former president’s incarceration. In the images, Trump can be first seen getting arrested and then being presented to court where he appears in the trail alongside his lawyers and family. Unfortunately for him, the trial ends up in his conviction and he is sent to prison where he can be seen in an orange jump suit. The good part is that Trump spent some quality time in prison. He worked out, read books and played basketball with other inmates before making a successful escape attempt from the sewers. The pictoral story concludes with an emotionally and physically exhausted Trump having fast food at Minonad – Mcdonald’s counterpart in a ‘parallel universe’ where all the above happened.
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) March 20, 2023
Between real and fake
Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the entire episode is that some Twitter users considered the images to be real and were sharing them as such, sparking a controversy based on completely fabricated information.
The deepfakes became so widespread that Midjourney had to halt free trials on March 28. However, the AI image generator’s CEO David Holz clarified that the halt was due to users signing up for multiple free trial accounts, which was bringing down the service for paid users.
The disruptive power of AI
The deepfake images of Donald Trump demonstrate the increasing sophistication and accessibility of AI-generated content. The manner in which Trump’s deepfakes went viral indicate about AI’s massive potential for spreading misinformation, particularly, the ease with which deepfakes can be deployed to generate propaganda.
Like everything else, technology has both its positives and negatives. With the continuously advancing artificial intelligence, it has become crucial for both corporate entities and government regulation to catch up in order to prevent the misuse of deepfakes.
