(Washington) Elon Musk has been the target of much criticism in recent days after he shared a manipulated video of US Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris on his social network X.
In the fake campaign clip, the Democrat’s voice is reproduced to make her say things that are detrimental to her, including that Joe Biden is “senile” and that she has “no idea how to run this country.”
The video was originally posted by a conservative radio host who referred to it as a “parody,” a reference not found in Musk’s post, who simply commented, “This is awesome!”
PHOTO STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris
The Tesla and SpaceX boss, who bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X, recently made his support for Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the November presidential election, official.
In recent months, the multi-billionaire’s inflammatory messages against Democrats and the left have left no doubt about his political orientation.
But the publication of this manipulated video on Friday violates the very rules of the platform that he owns and manages, experts believe.
“It is forbidden to share artificial, manipulated or out-of-context content that is likely to create confusion, mislead users and cause harm,” is written in the rules of the social network, which did not respond to requests from AFP.
The post, which has been viewed 130 million times, has sparked debate.
“We believe Americans want the real freedom, opportunity and security that Kamala Harris stands for, not the manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump,” Ms.’s campaign team responded.me Harris in a statement.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said such videos should be “illegal,” with Musk responding that “parody is legal in America.”
With less than four months to go until the presidential election, many in the sector are worried that generative AI tools, accessible to anyone and capable of producing disturbingly false images of reality, will disrupt the campaign.
In January, a message broadcast via automated phone calls impersonating President Joe Biden’s voice urged Democratic voters in the state of New Hampshire to abstain from voting in the party’s primary.