Combating Deepfakes: A Bold Move by the Biden Administration

In a political reality where fact and fiction blur into a disturbing stew, the Biden administration is making history by explicitly using the power of the presidency to protect citizens from an emerging scourge: deepfakes. The administration’s decision to deny access to an audio of US president Joe Biden is the first direct action by a new president to stymie the powerful distorting effects of artificial intelligence-generated disinformation. But that move is part of a larger package of actions (including the appointment of a special counsel) to staunch the flow of semi-genuine phantasms into public discourse. How can this move itself make any difference?

THE RISE OF DEEPFAKES IN POLITICS: A NEW FRONTLINE

Deepfakes are on the leading edge of the growing threat to the integrity of truth in politics. You might have seen the infamous deepfake video of the House speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2020, in which she appeared to be drunk and slurring her words. That video, which was clearly – almost laughably – an AI fabrication, woke many people up to just how strong a threat deepfakes could be to the spread of disinformed public opinion and to the whole democratic process. One day, we might see fake speeches of politicians, fake interviews, fake endorsements. The future is going to test one of our oldest adages: seeing and hearing is believing.

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S COUNTERMOVE

Taking the mounting threat seriously, the administration’s decision to block President Biden’s audio interview shows a pre-emptive strategy to thwart the potential production of damaging deepfakes. This might seem like an egregious silencing of the political process that could lead to the AI-manufactured production of false information. But the move also reveals a serious motivation to protect political discourse from the harms caused by the kind of AI that produces disinformation. By removing the raw material that could be used to create convincing deepfakes, it is a tactic that could deal with the problem before it arises.

APPOINTING A SPECIAL COUNSEL: A KEY STEP FORWARD

Besides censuring the audio, the appointment of a special counsel would be the most forceful move yet in the struggle against digital disinformation. The special counsel has the authority to subpoena evidence and press formal charges. A commitment to impose consequences on those who aim to subvert democracy through technology is a substantive step in the battle against digital lies.

THE IMPACT OF DEEPFAKES ON DEMOCRACY

As the prevalence of deepfakes rises, another deep concern rises with it, and that is what these fakes could do to the degree of trust citizens place in democratic institutions and processes. In a recent report, The Brookings Institution cautions that without intervention, deepfakes could ‘undermine the integrity of elections and undermine the entire electoral process’. They threaten to make truth ‘the first casualty of war’, a tenet of democracy that is inherent in being an informed citizen.

CONTROVERSY AND CRITIQUE: THE BALANCE OF POWER

While it was done in the name of preserving democracy, this move has been criticised, with some considering the suppression of the audio as a misuse of executive powers and as an intrusion of press freedom. The case raises the crucial question of how far governments should go in their fight against disinformation and the boundaries where democracy should draw the line against government intervention to protect liberal values and freedoms.

THE ROAD AHEAD: TECHNOLOGY, DEMOCRACY, AND TRUTH

The Biden administration’s attempt to keep deepfakes under control is the beginning of a long journey. As the boundary between real and synthetic blurs, its quest to preserve the integrity of public discourse and save democracy from itself will become more difficult and demanding than ever.

UNDERSTANDING THE MOVE AGAINST DEEPFAKES

At the centre of this effort is a political move to address an unprecedented threat. It is withholding source material that could be turned into deepfakes, it is appointing a special counsel, and it is setting the stage for a larger discussion about the regulation and impact of online digital disinformation. Whatever the outcome of the 2020 campaign and election, it is a real signal of the administration’s commitment to addressing the digital threats that increasingly hang over our political system. In an age of evolving technologies, it is a turning point in efforts to maintain the legitimacy of our democratic institutions.