Elon Musk Shares AI-Generated Video Mimicking VP Harris, Sparking Concerns

Elon Musk reposted a deepfake video of Kamala Harris on X -- that may violate his own platform's policy

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. The clip appears to have been digitally altered to add a new voice-over that sounds like Harris' voice. In the video, the edited voice-over says, "I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I'm both a woman and a person of color, so if you criticize anything I say, you're both sexist and racist." The deceptive voice-over also calls Biden senile and says Harris and Biden are "deep state" puppets. In his repost of the clip, which has been viewed more than 117 million times, Musk failed to note that the video had been edited, writing only: "This is amazing 😂." And that may just run afoul of X's policy on synthetic and manipulated media, which states: "You may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm ("misleading media")." X says that for the company to take action and remove or label a post that violates that policy, it must "include media that is significantly and deceptively altered," "shared in a deceptive manner or with false context," or that is likely to cause "widespread confusion on public issues." The company says that it will consider factors including "whether there are any visual or auditory information (such as new video frames, overdubbed audio, or modified subtitles) that has been added, edited, or removed that fundamentally changes the understanding, meaning, or context of the media." Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to replace a person's likeness with that of someone else in video or audio footage. Audio deepfakes are relatively simple to create but are difficult to detect, studies have found. A number of politicians have already fallen victim to the technology in the past, highlighting their potential to wreak havoc around election times. In one clip that was circulating on social media last year, Hillary Clinton appeared to give a surprise endorsement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. However, the clip was revealed to have been AI-generated, Reuters reported. Biden was also on the receiving end of a deepfake following his announcement that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential election race. A video on social media appeared to show the president hitting out at his critics and cursing them. But again, the footage was a deepfake, per the AFP news agency.

A manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris' voice, raising concerns about AI in politics

NEW YORK (AP) -- A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate," the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." The video retains "Harris for President" branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's "community note" feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Two experts who specialize in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. "The AI-generated voice is very good," he said in an email. "Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. "I don't think that's obviously a joke," Weissman said in an interview. "I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real." Weissman, whose organization has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP's democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Elon Musk retweets altered Kamala Harris campaign ad

Chief Technology Officer of X Elon Musk speaks onstage during the "Exploring the New Frontiers of Innovation: Mark Read in Conversation with Elon Musk" session at the Lumiere Theatre during the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 - Day Three on June 19, 2024 in Cannes, France. Elon Musk, the owner of X, retweeted a parody Kamala Harris campaign ad Friday without labeling it as misleading, an apparent violation of his own platform's rules. Portions of video footage in the altered content -- such as Harris speaking to crowds, and general videos of her supporters -- were used in a recent Harris' campaign video on YouTube. Most notably, the altered content uses a voice over that sounds like the vice president, making it seem like she is calling Biden senile and herself an incompetent presidential candidate. In the original video, Harris narrates, telling viewers, "In this election, we each face a question: what kind of country do we want to live in?" before breaking into Beyonce's song "Freedom." The altered video reposted by Musk does not include Beyonce. Instead, a voice that sounds like Harris' begins by saying, "I Kamala Harris am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate." The voice goes on to say that Harris was selected because she is "the ultimate diversity hire" as she's both a woman and a person of color. "So if you criticize anything I say you're both sexist and racist," the voice continues. The video then accuses Harris of "trying to sound Black" and doing a "Barack Obama impression" in her speeches. The video comes as Republicans across the country this week have accused Harris of being the "DEI candidate," with some alluding to her race and gender as reasons why she was selected to be the Democratic presidential nominee. In a statement, Harris campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg blasted Musk and former President Donald Trump, saying, "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." It was not immediately clear if the video is a product of artificial intelligence. It was originally posted by a YouTube account by the name of "Mr Reagan," which labeled it as a parody. Alexios Mantzarlis, the director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, Cornell University's graduate campus in New York City, indicated to NBC News that the altered content may be considered a deepfake, generally defined as misleading content using artificial intelligence. "In recent-ish elections in Argentina, India and elsewhere, we saw deepfakes being used primarily for this type of surface-level deception that's more akin to trolling memes than to legitimate misinformation," Mantzarlis said. "I expect we'll see plenty of this in the US for the next 100 days" until the November election. There is no official label on Musk's retweet indicating that the video is a parody or manipulated, which may violate X's own policy regarding misleading content. "You may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm ("misleading media")," the policy states. "In addition, we may label posts containing misleading media to help people understand their authenticity and to provide additional context." This is not the first time altered voice content has appeared during this presidential campaign. Earlier this year, a political consultant ordered up a robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden falsely discouraging people from participating in New Hampshire's primary election. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, accused Musk of violating his company's own policy. In a post on X, she wrote, "If ⁦@elonmusk and X let this go and don't label it as altered AI content, they will not only be violating X's own rules, they'll be unleashing an entire election season of fake AI voice and image-altered content with no limits, regardless of party." X and Elon Musk have not immediately responded to requests for comment. Musk's retweet of the video has been viewed 119.9 million times as of Sunday afternoon, and 166,000 on Mr Reagan's YouTube account. In the wake of an attempted assassination against Trump earlier this month, Musk formally endorsed the former president's campaign.

Elon Musk shared a doctored Harris campaign video on X without labeling it as fake

The video uses a clone of the VP's voice to make it seem as though she's saying disparaging things about herself and Joe Biden. As spotted by , Elon Musk shared an altered version of Kamala Harris' campaign video on Friday night that uses a deepfake voiceover to say things like, "I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire," in the VP's voice. Nowhere does the post alert users to the fact that the video has been manipulated and features comments Harris did not actually say. Under X's own , users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm ('misleading media')." The has been up all weekend, amassing over 119 million views by early Sunday afternoon. It was originally posted by another user, , whose post states that it is a parody. Among other things, the voice in the video says, "I had four years under the tutelage of the ultimate deep state puppet, a wonderful mentor, Joe Biden." Musk's post -- which only says "This is amazing," with a laughing emoji -- has not been labeled as misleading, which the site will sometimes do if it determines certain media is as such, and no Community Notes have been added, though NYT notes that several have been suggested. Altered media is in some cases allowed to stay up on the site and won't be labeled as misleading, according to X's policies. That includes memes and satire, "provided these do not cause significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." The potential for deepfakes to be used to influence voters' opinions ahead of elections has been a growing concern in recent years. Earlier this year, pledging to help fight the "deceptive use of AI" in the 2024 elections -- including X.

Elon Musk spreads doctored Kamala Harris campaign video on X

Amid a surge of political misinformation across the internet, X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk has taken to his own platform to share a manipulated video of Kamala Harris' presidential campaign video. The Tesla founder and billionaire reposted the video Friday afternoon featuring an AI voice of Vice President Harris calling herself the "ultimate diversity hire." The video, a "parody" created by right-wing YouTuber Mr. Reagan, is a re-edited version of Harris' "We Choose Freedom" campaign video. In this new version, the sitting VP is heard calling President Joe Biden "senile" and a "deep state puppet." On top of the DEI hire line, the video also posits that Harris believes she's above criticism because she's a woman and a person of color. Mr. Reagan notes in his post that the video is a "parody," however when Musk reposted it, the CEO did not give such a disclaimer. At the time of this writing, the video has been seen over 166 million times, with Musk stating in his post, "This is amazing 😂." Despite owning the platform, it seems Musk is willfully disregarding that the video violates X's terms of service, which prohibit "synthetic, manipulated or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." Comment and quotes tweets of Musk's repost were quick to point out this fact. Ever since President Biden declared he would step down ahead of the 2024 presidential election, deepfakes of Kamala Harris have exploded in virality on Tiktok and X. As the November election inches to us day by day, political deepfakes have become a bigger issue than ever before. Despite the concern, legal experts say policymakers still aren't ready to grapple with exploitative AI. And while Tiktok says they're combatting these videos, X has made no such moves. Despite new reports showing a 53 percent decline in revenue since last year, it seems Musk is content with how X is being moderated. The X CEO is committed to keeping it a "free speech platform" despite political misinformation and conspiracy theories being part of the reason revenue is down in the first place.

A manipulated video shared by Elon Musk mimics Vice President Kamala Harris' voice, raising concerns about AI in politics

A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate," the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." The video retains "Harris for President" branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Kamala Harris, Biden, Trump, Modi feature in deepfake AI fashion show, Musk shares on X (Unravel the complexities of our digital world on The Interface podcast, where business leaders and scientists share insights that shape tomorrow's innovation. The Interface is also available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.) Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilised both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's "community note" feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. From IT bots to AI deepfakes: The evolution of election-related misinformation in India Two experts who specialise in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. "The AI-generated voice is very good," he said in an email. "Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. Political ads on social media rife with misinformation and scams, new research finds "I don't think that's obviously a joke," Weissman said in an interview. "I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real." Weissman, whose organisation has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension. Read Comments

Elon Musk retweets altered Kamala Harris campaign ad

Elon Musk formally endorsed the former president Donald Trump's campaign earlier this month.Sergei Gapon / AFP via Getty Images file Elon Musk, the owner of X, retweeted a parody Kamala Harris campaign ad Friday without labeling it as misleading, an apparent violation of his own platform's rules. Portions of video footage in the altered content -- such as Harris speaking to crowds, and general videos of her supporters -- were used in a recent Harris' campaign video on YouTube. Most notably, the altered content uses a voice over that sounds like the vice president, making it seem like she is calling Biden senile and herself an incompetent presidential candidate. In the original video, Harris narrates, telling viewers, "In this election, we each face a question: what kind of country do we want to live in?" before breaking into Beyonce's song "Freedom." The altered video reposted by Musk does not include Beyonce. Instead, a voice that sounds like Harris' begins by saying, "I Kamala Harris am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate." The voice goes on to say that Harris was selected because she is "the ultimate diversity hire" as she's both a woman and a person of color. "So if you criticize anything I say you're both sexist and racist," the voice continues. The video then accuses Harris of "trying to sound Black" and doing a "Barack Obama impression" in her speeches. The video comes as Republicans across the country this week have accused Harris of being the "DEI candidate," with some alluding to her race and gender as reasons why she was selected to be the Democratic presidential nominee. In a statement, Harris campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg blasted Musk and former President Donald Trump, saying, "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." It was not immediately clear if the video is a product of artificial intelligence. It was originally posted by a YouTube account by the name of "Mr Reagan," which labeled it as a parody. Alexios Mantzarlis, the director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, Cornell University's graduate campus in New York City, indicated to NBC News that the altered content may be considered a deepfake, generally defined as misleading content using artificial intelligence. "In recent-ish elections in Argentina, India and elsewhere, we saw deepfakes being used primarily for this type of surface-level deception that's more akin to trolling memes than to legitimate misinformation," Mantzarlis said. "I expect we'll see plenty of this in the US for the next 100 days" until the November election. There is no official label on Musk's retweet indicating that the video is a parody or manipulated, which may violate X's own policy regarding misleading content. "You may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm ("misleading media")," the policy states. "In addition, we may label posts containing misleading media to help people understand their authenticity and to provide additional context." This is not the first time altered voice content has appeared during this presidential campaign. Earlier this year, a political consultant ordered up a robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden falsely discouraging people from participating in New Hampshire's primary election. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, accused Musk of violating his company's own policy. In a post on X, she wrote, "If ⁦@elonmusk and X let this go and don't label it as altered AI content, they will not only be violating X's own rules, they'll be unleashing an entire election season of fake AI voice and image-altered content with no limits, regardless of party." X and Elon Musk have not immediately responded to requests for comment. Musk's retweet of the video has been viewed 119.9 million times as of Sunday afternoon, and 166,000 on Mr Reagan's YouTube account. In the wake of an attempted assassination against Trump earlier this month, Musk formally endorsed the former president's campaign.

Musk Appears To Violate Own Social Media Platform's Guidelines, Posts Manipulated Video of Kamala Harris

The altered ad campaign clip, implying false statements by the vice president, garners massive attention with 98 million views. Elon Musk is making headlines again, this time for sharing a manipulated video of Vice President Kamala Harris on his social media platform, X. The video, which was originally an ad campaign for Harris, was digitally altered and has since stirred up a storm of controversy. What Happened: Musk shared a manipulated video of Harris on his social media platform, X. The video, originally an ad campaign for Harris, was digitally altered to change the voice-over in a deceptive manner, making Harris appear to say that President Joe Biden is senile and that she is the "ultimate diversity hire." According to The New York Times, the video has been viewed 98 million times since Musk's repost and appears to violate X's policies against sharing manipulated or out-of-context media. Alex Howard, a digital governance expert, called out the post as a violation of X's policies. Also Read: What A Second Trump Presidency Would Mean For Elon Musk And His Many Ventures The Harris campaign responded to the video, criticizing the "fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." Musk has not commented on the issue, and the original poster, conservative podcast host Chris Kohls, has also remained silent. Why It Matters: Deepfakes, or digitally manipulated content that spreads false information, have been a growing concern for pro-democracy groups. The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits fraudulent misrepresentation of federal candidates, but the law is ambiguous when it comes to modern technologies like artificial intelligence. Despite the controversy, neither Musk's post nor the original has been removed from X. Musk, who has 191 million followers, wields significant influence on the platform and can make any content go viral simply by reposting it. Read Next: Trump Vs. Harris: Latest Survey Indicates Positive Signs For This Candidate This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

A manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris' voice, raising concerns about AI in politics

NEW YORK -- A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate," the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." The video retains "Harris for President" branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's "community note" feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Two experts who specialize in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. "The AI-generated voice is very good," he said in an email. "Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. "I don't think that's obviously a joke," Weissman said in an interview. "I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real." Weissman, whose organization has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP's democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris' voice, raising concerns about AI in politics

NEW YORK (AP) -- A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate," the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." The video retains "Harris for President" branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's "community note" feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Two experts who specialize in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. "The AI-generated voice is very good," he said in an email. "Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. "I don't think that's obviously a joke," Weissman said in an interview. "I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real." Weissman, whose organization has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP's democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Elon Musk Shares Altered Video of Kamala Harris, Potentially Breaching X's Policies

In a seeming violation of X's policy, on Friday evening, owner Elon Musk reposted a video on the platform featuring a deep fake of Vice President Kamala Harris. The video is an edited campaign video for Harris that has been digitally altered to replace the voice-over with a voice that sounds like Harris but is not. In the edited video, Harris calls President Biden senile and says she doesn't "know the first thing about running the country." She also calls herself the "ultimate diversity hire" because she is both a woman and a person of color. The clip has also been edited to remove images of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, with pictures of Biden. X's content policies prohibit sharing "synthetic, manipulated or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." Deepfakes like the one posted by Musk and one of Harris that spread on the platform earlier this month, are an ongoing concern in the upcoming Presidential election, as is AI. On Friday, news circulated that Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, was also spreading election misinformation, specifically telling voters that ballots are "locked" in eight states and voters can only vote for former President Trump or President Biden and will not have the option to vote for Vice President Harris. Those reports are false.

Elon Musk reposted a deepfake video of Kamala Harris on X -- it may violate his own platform's policy | Business Insider India

The video, a parody of Harris' campaign ad, appears to have been digitally altered. On Friday evening, Elon Musk reposted a deepfake video of Vice President Kamala Harris on X -- a move that may violate his own platform's policy on synthetic and manipulated media, The New York Times reported. The video was originally posted by the user @MrReaganUSA, who noted that the clip was a "parody" of Harris' first campaign ad since becoming the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the 2024 presidential election. The clip appears to have been digitally altered to add a new voice-over that sounds like Harris. In the video, the edited voice-over says, "I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I'm both a woman and a person of color, so if you criticize anything I say, you're both sexist and racist." The deceptive voice-over also calls Biden senile and says Harris and Biden are "deep state" puppets. In his repost of the clip, which has been viewed more than 117 million times, Musk failed to note that the video had been edited, writing only: "This is amazing ." And that may just run afoul of X's policy on synthetic and manipulated media, which states: "You may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm ("misleading media")." X says that for the company to take action and remove or label a post that violates that policy, it must "include media that is significantly and deceptively altered," "shared in a deceptive manner or with false context," or that is likely to cause "widespread confusion on public issues." The company says that it will consider factors including "whether there are any visual or auditory information (such as new video frames, overdubbed audio, or modified subtitles) that has been added, edited, or removed that fundamentally changes the understanding, meaning, or context of the media." Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to replace a person's likeness with that of someone else in video or audio footage. Audio deepfakes are relatively simple to create but are difficult to detect, studies have found. A number of politicians have already fallen victim to the technology in the past, highlighting their potential to wreak havoc around election times. In one clip that was circulating on social media last year, Hillary Clinton appeared to give a surprise endorsement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. However, the clip was revealed to have been AI-generated, Reuters reported. Biden was also on the receiving end of a deepfake following his announcement that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential election race. A video on social media appeared to show the president hitting out at his critics and cursing them. But again, the footage was a deepfake, per the AFP news agency.

Elon Musk Shares Kamala Harris Deepfake

Biden Throws Full Support Behind Kamala Harris for Nomination Billionaire Elon Musk shared a deepfake video of Vice President Kamala Harris manipulated to make it sound like she spoke about President Joe Biden's "senility" and that she does not "know the first thing about running the country." "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility," the altered audio says in the video Musk posted to his account on X, formerly Twitter. The audio, which sounds like Harris but is not, goes on to say Harris was chosen "because I am the ultimate diversity hire" as "both a woman and a person of color." Musk did not disclose in his post that the video or audio had been manipulated, only writing, "This is amazing 😂" in the caption. According to The New York Times, the video was originally posted by X user @MrReaganUSA, who indicated in the post that the video was a "parody." The altered version of the video parodies a Harris ad titled "We Choose Freedom." X's policies explicitly prohibit "synthetic, manipulated or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." As of Sunday morning, X had not appended a Community Note to the post. Community Notes are used by the platform to correct misinformation or misleading posts. At the time of this publication, the video had garnered nearly 118 million views. In a statement obtained by The Times, the Harris campaign said, "The American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." Reacting to the video, Alex Howard, a digital governance expert and the director of the Digital Democracy Project at the Demand Progress Education Fund, posted in response to Musk, "This is a violation of @X's policies on synthetic media & misleading identities. Are you going to retroactively change them to allow violations in an election year?" Harris, who has emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination following President Joe Biden's decision to exit the race, has earned endorsements from Biden, Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, among other Democratic power players. Deepfakes and AI-altered media have emerged as a disinformation threat in recent years. A Democratic consultant faces criminal charges of voter suppression and a $6 million Federal Communications Commission fine for deepfake audio calls that used an altered version of Biden's voice to discourage voters from participating in the New Hampshire presidential primary. Last year, the Ron DeSantis campaign shared apparent AI-generated images of Donald Trump hugging infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. Deepfakes have also been used in attempts to influence elections abroad. A Brookings report from January noted that "generative AI content has the potential to turbocharge campaigns designed to undermine democratic discourse by making content higher quality, more substantively distinct, and easier to mass produce than past information campaigns launched both domestically and as part of foreign influence operations." Many state legislatures have taken on the issue and banned deepfakes in electoral politics. In April the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on the threat deepfakes pose in elections. Just last week, the Senate passed a bill championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- the DEFIANCE Act -- that would ban non-consensual, sexually-explicit, AI-generated imagery. Now it heads to the House. Ocasio-Cortez has been the victim of such deepfakes and first announced the bill in an interview with Rolling Stone. "There's a shock to seeing images of yourself that someone could think are real," Ocasio-Cortez told Rolling Stone. "And once you've seen it, you've seen it. It parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault." "It's time to give victims their day in court and the tools they need to fight back," Sen. Dick Durbin said when the legislation passed the Senate.

'Fake, manipulated lies,' says Kamala Harris campaign after Elon Musk shares AI-generated parody clip without disclaimer | Today News

A manipulated video shared by tech billionaire Elon Musk is making headlines. It mimics US Vice President Kamala Harris' voice. The video says: I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate. Elon Musk, the Space X founder and Tesla owner, shared an AI-generated video of US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday evening without explicitly stating that it was originally released as a parody. The manipulated video mimics the presumptive Democratic nominee as saying things she did not say, raises concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with US Presidential elections just three months away. The tech billionaire shared the post with the caption "This is amazing" and a laughing emoji days after endorsing the Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. The video has been making headlines ever since it was shared by Musk on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter). It is noteworthy that the video uses similar visuals to a real ad that the Democratic Party candidate released a week ago while launching her Presidential campaign. The clip, which has a swapped voice-over audio, convincingly impersonates the Vice President. The video says, "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate." The video suggests that the 59-year-old American politician is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of colour, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." Meanwhile, the one-minute, fifty-three-second video retains the "Harris for President" branding in addition to some authentic past clips of Kamala Harris. In response to this misleading clip, a Kamala Harris campaign spokesperson, Mia Ehrenberg, addressed an email to news agency the Associated Press. It stated, "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering, not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." Notably, the social media user who posted the video included a disclaimer both on YouTube and on X stating that the manipulated video was a parody.

A Manipulated Video Shared by Musk Mimics Harris' Voice, Raising Concerns About AI in Politics

NEW YORK (AP) -- A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate," the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." The video retains "Harris for President" branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's "community note" feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Two experts who specialize in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. "The AI-generated voice is very good," he said in an email. "Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. "I don't think that's obviously a joke," Weissman said in an interview. "I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real." Weissman, whose organization has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP's democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris' voice, raising concerns about AI in politics

A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. "I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate," the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a "diversity hire" because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know "the first thing about running the country." The video retains "Harris for President" branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's "community note" feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users "may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm." The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media." Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Two experts who specialize in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. "The AI-generated voice is very good," he said in an email. "Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. "I don't think that's obviously a joke," Weissman said in an interview. "I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real." Weissman, whose organization has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension.

Video With Digital Dupe Of Kamala Harris' Voice Raises Concerns About AI In Politics

Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: "We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump." The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms.

Manipulated Video Shared By Musk Mimics Harris's Voice, Raising Concerns About AI In Politics

Weissman, whose organisation has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is "the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the US and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student.