Extinction Rebellion Belgium created and distributed a deepfake video of Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes giving a fictional speech linking COVID-19 to environmental damage using AI technology to reproduce her voice and likeness.
Extinction Rebellion Belgium created a deepfake video showing Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes speaking about an urgent need to tackle economic and climate crises. The video modified a previous address about the coronavirus pandemic, using machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to reproduce Wilmes' voice and likeness. In the fictional speech, Wilmes is made to say that pandemics like SARS, Ebola, Swine Flu and COVID-19 are directly linked to human exploitation and destruction of the natural environment. The deepfake was created as part of an initiative called 'Rebellion on Lockdown' to continue climate campaigning during pandemic restrictions. The video was distributed to the prime minister's cabinet and the offices of minister-presidents of Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders. The report notes that deepfake technology has improved rapidly and is becoming more accessible through open source software, raising concerns about potential misuse in political contexts and elections.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to conduct large-scale disinformation campaigns, malicious surveillance, or targeted and sophisticated automated censorship and propaganda, with the aim of manipulating political processes, public opinion, and behavior.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed