Elon Musk, the Chief Technology Officer of X, has come under scrutiny after retweeting a parody video that appears to violate his own platform’s rules. The video, which was not labeled as misleading, features altered content using footage of Kamala Harris, the vice president, and her supporters. The altered video includes a voiceover that sounds like Harris, falsely claiming that Joe Biden is senile and referring to herself as an incompetent presidential candidate. Notably, the video does not include Beyonce’s song “Freedom,” which was present in the original video.
Republicans have recently accused Harris of being the “DEI candidate,” insinuating that her race and gender played a role in her selection as the Democratic presidential nominee. In response, Harris’ campaign spokesperson, Mia Ehrenberg, condemned Musk and former President Donald Trump, stating that the American people desire the real freedom, opportunity, and security offered by Vice President Harris, rather than the manipulated lies propagated by Musk and Trump.
It remains unclear if the video is a product of artificial intelligence, although it was initially posted by a YouTube account named “Mr Reagan,” which labeled it as a parody. Alexios Mantzarlis, the director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, suggested that the altered content may be considered a deepfake, a form of misleading content created using artificial intelligence.
Musk’s retweet of the video has garnered significant attention, with over 119.9 million views as of Sunday afternoon. However, there is no official label indicating that the video is a parody or manipulated, potentially violating X’s own policy regarding misleading content.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar accused Musk of disregarding his company’s policy and warned of the potential consequences if the video is not labeled as altered AI content. She expressed concerns that this could lead to an influx of fake AI-altered content throughout the upcoming election season, irrespective of political affiliation.