Gregory Campbell warns of potential for repeat of ‘grossly offensive’ AI ‘deepfakes’ during election

Mr. Campbell warned the issue could resurface during the imminent General Election campaign in the North and Britain.

"During the Northern Ireland Assembly campaign, some female candidates were subjected to AI-generated deepfakes and grossly offensive content.

"What action are the Government taking to regulate the dissemination of such imagery where it could affect the otherwise freely expressed choice of voters at the ballot box, especially as we approach a general election in the coming months?” he asked.

Kemi Badenoch, Minister for Women and Equalities, said: “The Online Safety Act 2023 introduced new offences that criminalise sharing or threatening to share an intimate image without consent, which includes deepfake intimate images.

"The Government are working to ensure that we are ready to respond to the full range of threats to our democratic processes, including through the defending democracy taskforce."

Ms. Badenoch, whose husband Hamish incidentally stood for the NI Conservatives in the 2015 General Election in Foyle where he received 132 votes, said the creation of ‘deepfakes’ could amount to the making of false statements, which is an offence.

"If deepfakes are discovered by users on social media, they should report them directly to the platform. In the case of elections, they should be reported directly to the Electoral Commission, because it is already an electoral offence to make false statements of fact about the character or conduct of a candidate during an election,” she said.

Eamon Martin says AI, digital media and machine algorithms must be employed ethically