A senior Trump advisor shared a video that seems to show an NBC reporter badmouthing Republican presidential candidates. It appears AI was used to imitate the reporter’s voice.
Don’t demand. Sue.
First demand, then sue. Can’t get the suit to court if you can’t show that you tried asking first.
Also, even if you’re suing - litigation can take months/years. But the damage is done instantly. I don’t think there’s an easy solution here.
This isn’t any of those things. Also good luck proving it in court. Onus is on the reporter here.
Damages to their reputation as a professional? Which would lead to loss in viewers, which would lead to loss in advertising revenue, which can be a LOT of money.
The video in question, shared by a top Trump adviser, opens with authentic footage of NBC News senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake previewing the debate for the network. It soon cuts to video of each candidate as a voiceover — in Haake’s voice — makes disparaging comments about the candidates.
“This is Ron DeSantis: An establishment RINO that wears insoles in order to look taller,” the voiceover says. “And this is Nikki Haley: Nobody really gives a shit about Nikki Haley.”
I guarantee you there are a significant number of Trump fans to whom it wouldn’t even occur that an NBC news correspondent wouldn’t intentionally say ‘shit’ on a national news broadcast.
It will be interesting what this form of yellow journalism will look like in a few short years…
I have a feeling it will be quick and nasty. Deep fakes aren’t just behind a door, it’s a floodgate waiting to be opened.
Also works both ways making it even worse. Actually catch someone saying something abhorrent on a hot mic? It was AI, I swear.
Not sure if it’s an even fight. There’s actual video of Trump saying any number of disgusting (or even non-republican things, like that time he proposed to take people’s guns without due process), and it’s not affecting his support.
works both ways
No way. On one side you have a crazed cult of emotionally driven, “poorly educated”, violent dolts who refuse the truth while seeking any possible outrage against their non-crazy “enemies”.
Here is the video. It is actually pretty funny. I hate Trump as much as the next lemming, but this really is an obvious parody once you watch the whole video. I think NBC is complaining not because of the parody, but because the fake voice-over is too good and sets a bad precedent. It shows how good the tech is and how it could be used more subtly to create fake news (not that there aren’t already many ways to do that).
https://x.com/lacivitac/status/1722390782387089643?s=46&t=a3ohj6oncFjZ8uOAQMEdJg
It’s not really that obvious that it’s a parody. You’re right about the voice-over being too good and it’s a very very dangerous precedent.
I’m actually really worried about the complete inability for viewers of media to know what’s real and what’s fake given how good the tech is. I know not to trust almost anything on the internet, but so many people don’t know that.
There’s probably a good case for NBC to sue over this.
Exactly. This isn’t about hating Trump, it’s about a potentially powerful tool becoming basically free, with the potential to ruin the ability to trust our own eyes and ears.
I laughed, at first, but now I simply feel fear for the future where anything could be a lie. And if everything’s a lie, nothing is the truth. Much of the world stands in a terrifying post-truth political reality as AI begins to take off to enable it.
When nothing is true, anything is possible.
I have that same feeling in my gut. I imagine we’ll need to create AI to find and counter the AI being used to create the fake news? It feels like an arms race that could escalate quickly.
Agreed. It’s clearly intended to be funny. The fact that people are losing their minds about this and think it should be legally actionable are a) wrong, and b) terrifying me, because this is clearly parody and protected by the first amendment. I hate Trump too, but that doesn’t mean we should seek to set legal precedent that limits the ability of people to make fun of the political process. Sheesh. That goes nowhere good.
