A recent investigation by BBC Panorama has uncovered the creation of deepfake images depicting former President Donald Trump engaging with black voters. The report reveals that numerous AI-generated images have been produced to showcase African Americans supporting Trump, with the aim of influencing more black voters in the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.
While there is no direct evidence linking these images to Trump’s campaign, one prominent Trump supporter, Florida-based radio host Mark Kaye, confessed to creating fake images, emphasizing that he sees himself as a storyteller rather than a photojournalist.
One of the images, crafted by Kaye and shared on his conservative radio show, portrays Trump with his arms around a group of black women, smiling. Although the image, when briefly examined, appears authentic, it exhibits typical hallmarks of AI-generated pictures, including shiny skin and some models missing fingers. Despite these indicators, some users actually believed the AI-generated image was real for some reason.
Critics argue that such manipulated images contribute to disinformation campaigns targeting black communities and younger black voters. Chris Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, views these fake images as part of a “strategic narrative” attempting to portray Trump as popular within the black community. As the 2024 elections draw nearer, concerns about the use of disinformation to shape political narratives have escalated, particularly given Trump’s candidacy for the presidency again as the leader of the Republican Party.
