GENERATIVE AI AND THE 2024 US ELECTION

AI Upscaling May Explain Why Kamala Harris’ Real Campaign Photo Looks AI-Generated

The first version of the airfield image posted by a Harris campaign staffer was likely upscaled with AI software, even if the photo is real

According to a recent survey by Politico, 70% of Americans across the aisle share concerns that artificial intelligence is making it easier to perpetuate very realistic fake news stories and images. The majority agree this feeds disinformation, but there’s another worrying side effect: false positives.

Real images can be dismissed as fake if they have a whiff of AI, under the banner of “you can’t trust what you see anymore”. Researchers call this the “Liar’s dividend”. The very presence of AI in our discourse makes it easier for folk to believe images are faked.

Such skepticism came into sharp focus last week when Donald Trump claimed a photograph of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz disembarking Air Force Two to meet thousands of supporters in Michigan was AI-generated: