SA’s in shallows with deepfake

It is comforting that the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is well aware of the threat of “deepfake” misinformation generated by artificial intelligence (AI) – and that it plans to combat it in the run-up to May’s polls.

So powerful are these AI systems these days, they can put virtually any words into the mouth of anyone – whether in audio format or, more worryingly, in video.

Apparently, it takes experts to tell the fake from the real.

According to the 2024 Global Risks Report, produced by the World Economic Forum, AI-generated misinformation and disinformation has been identified as the second most significant global risk after extreme weather.

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Without making light of the problem, we would suggest that we have our own set of peculiar circumstances here in South Africa, which make filtering out deepfake material that much more difficult.

Unprompted, our politicians spew out some of the most unbelievable, illogical words and thoughts that it seems inconceiviable they could have come from a sentient being. (Are you paying attention, Fikile Mbalula?)

But, our biggest threat comes from what we would call “shallow fake”.

That is the propensity of politicians of all stripes to make promises they have no intention of keeping.