The rise of the videos, which do not use artificial intelligence (AI) but are cropped or edited in a way that is misleading, marks the latest instance of how technology may be used deceptively during the 2024 campaign.
The use of “cheap fakes” burst into the national spotlight in recent days thanks to a trio of clips involving Biden that quickly went viral and painted him as confused or unaware of his surroundings.
One viral clip, which was first shared by a Republican National Committee (RNC) account, depicts Biden struggling to sit down at a D-Day ceremony in a chair that critics claimed didn’t exist. But the clip cuts off before Biden takes his seat.
Another clip came from Biden’s recent trip to Italy for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting, when he and other world leaders watched a skydiving demonstration. A cropped version of the video seemed to show Biden wandering off before the Italian prime minister nudges him back toward the group.
But the fuller angle makes clear Biden was gesturing toward a parachutist who had just landed. The New York Post made the incident the centerpiece of its front page the next day, with the headline, “Meander in Chief.”
Right-wing media also spread a clip from a Saturday fundraiser, alleging Biden froze up on stage and had to be led away by former President Obama. Aides for both Biden and Obama disputed that characterization.
The video shows both Obama and Biden waving goodbye to the crowd at the end of the event. After a few moments, Obama grabs Biden by the hand and pats him on the back before they walk away. In response to a New York Post headline claiming Biden froze up and had to be led off stage by Obama, an Obama adviser responded, “This did not happen.”
Although the “cheap fakes” are less convincing than sophisticated AI deepfakes, they still pose a danger — especially by eroding trust among voters, said Paul Barrett, deputy director and senior research scholar at the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
“What they do is they further erode the distinction between what’s true and what’s not true, and I think they provide fuel that feeds highly polarized partisan attitudes that are already in place,” Barrett said.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
