WASHINGTON (AP) — As the 2024 election approaches, the first since the mass popularization of generative artificial intelligence, experts feared the worst: Social media would be flooded with AI-generated deepfakes so realistic that bewildered voters would not know what to believe.
So far, that hasn’t happened. Instead, what voters see is something far more absurd: a video of former President Donald Trump riding a cat while holding an assault rifle. A mustachioed Vice President Kamala Harris dressed in communist garb. Trump and Harris sharing a passionate embrace.
AI is playing a major role in the presidential campaign, even if the worst fears about how it could threaten the U.S. presidential election have yet to materialize. Fake AI-generated images regularly ricochet across the web, but many are so cartoonish and absurd that even the most naive viewer could not take them seriously.
Yet even these memes can be problematic. Eye-catching AI-generated photos and videos, some of them intended to be funny, have become useful tools for spreading false, sometimes racist messages with clear political slants — and candidates and their supporters are among those sharing them on social media.
For example, Trump and many of his allies have not only repeatedly promoted the baseless conspiracy theory that Haitian migrants are stealing and eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, they have also spread related AI-generated memes. One shared by Trump’s Truth Social account showed him in a luxury jet surrounded by cats and white ducks. Another showed a group of kittens holding a sign that read, “DON’T LET THEM EAT US, Vote Trump!”
Francesca Tripodi, an expert in online propaganda, said such AI-generated images are new, viral tools to convey age-old anti-immigration narratives.
“The memes that reinforce this claim are anything but humorous. When you have elected officials using these images to perpetuate racism and xenophobia, that’s a huge problem,” said Tripodi, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Republicans see the images as light-hearted jokes, and as byproducts of Trump’s personality.
“There’s a personality culture around Donald Trump that encourages that kind of exaggerated communication style that turns things into comedic memes,” said Caleb Smith, a Republican strategist. “The intent is to entertain, not to deceive. That’s what it should be.”
Not just Trump supporters
Trump and his supporters aren’t the only ones making AI memes, but they appear to be using AI image generators more than their Democratic counterparts. Some left-leaning users have posted AI images mocking billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X and a vocal supporter of Trump’s campaign. Democrats have also posted AI-generated images of Trump in handcuffs and being chased by police as he stood in court in Manhattan last year.
But Kamala Harris’ campaign isn’t focused on amplifying AI-generated content. Instead, she’s zeroing in on TikTok trends and other memes that don’t require AI models.
“Currently, the only allowable campaign uses of generative AI are for productivity tools, such as data analysis and industry-standard coding support,” said Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung did not respond to specific questions from The Associated Press but said the strategy has not changed since May. In an emailed statement, he said the campaign does not use tools provided by an AI company.
Using fake, entertaining, often absurd images to score political points is nothing new. But unlike doctored Photoshop images or political cartoons, AI-generated images pack a bigger punch with their hyperrealism and can draw new attention to a political message.
While some of the depictions of pets in Springfield were cartoonish and ridiculous, many felt they perpetuated a damaging conspiracy theory about a community that has since received bomb threats, forcing schools and government buildings to be evacuated.
“Memes that are clearly parodying are one thing. It’s another thing when they’re clearly meant to mislead,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and outspoken critic of Trump. “And we’re already seeing the Trump campaign really blur that line.”
AI makes it easy
The speed and accessibility of generative AI tools make it easy to create outlandish political content that can generate clicks and likes. With AI image generators accessible to anyone with an internet connection, they are a cheap and convenient way for campaigns to respond to online trends and get a message across.
“Campaigns have been dealing with disinformation and misinformation for a long time. … It’s not a new problem. But AI clearly allows these kinds of things to be done more quickly, perhaps more persuasively, and in a more targeted environment,” said Teddy Goff, the digital director for Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Paul Ingrassia, a New York political commentator and lawyer, said he created a viral image of Trump emerging from a lion’s den in seconds at Grok’s behest, then put it in his newsletter and sent it to Trump campaign staff. Trump’s Truth Social account posted Ingrassia’s newsletter that day, including the image.
“I got a message from my contact at the president and they said, ‘The president loved the image, how did you do it? Who did it?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I did. I did it for the article,’” Ingrassia said. “And he said, ‘Keep up the great work, he loves it.’”
The use of AI for political satire and propaganda is not limited to the US. It can already be seen in elections in Indonesia and the Netherlands, for example.
More sinister deepfakes have also attempted to influence races around the world. Last year, AI audio clips in Slovakia posed as the leader of the Liberal Party talking about rigging the vote, just days before a general election. In the New Hampshire primary in January, audio deepfakes of President Joe Biden were sent in robocalls to Democratic voters, urging them not to vote. The incident was quickly made public and resulted in criminal charges.
Trump’s embrace of AI-generated images contradicts some of his past comments. In an interview with Fox Business this year, Trump called artificial intelligence “very dangerous” and “so scary” because “there’s no real solution” to the problems created by the advancing technology.
And some Republicans are concerned about the way Trump and the Republican Party are using AI to create political memes.
“I don’t buy into memes. Never have. And I never will,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican in a competitive district outside Philadelphia. “I just don’t believe in it.”
___
Swenson reported from New York.
___
This story is part of the Associated Press series “The AI Campaign,” which examines the influence of artificial intelligence on the 2024 election campaign.
___
The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to improve its explanatory reporting on elections and democracy. Learn more about AP’s Democracy Initiative here . AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Associated Press receives funding from the Omidyar Network to support its coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
