Nearly 50% of voters said deepfakes had some influence on the election decision

Experts have warned that as the presidential election approaches, political deepfakes are becoming increasingly prevalent and they are deceiving more people.

According to a recent survey by computer security company McAfee, 63% of people said they have seen a political deepfake in the last 60 days.

Nearly half of them (48%) said deepfakes have some influence on who they will vote for in the upcoming election.

Deepfakes can be images, video or audio that are edited or generated using artificial intelligence tools.

The point is that GenAI tools have made it easier and faster to create realistic AI-generated content, according to Abhishek Karnik, head of threat research at McAfee.

These deepfakes have become such a common occurrence that more than a quarter of survey respondents, 27%, have seen at least five deepfakes within the past two months.

About 13% have seen 10 or more deepfakes.

“This year, deepfakes are especially worrisome, not only because they’re on the rise but also because people are unsure about what’s real online and what’s fake,” Karnik told Fox Business.

Karnik said 8 in 10 Americans encounter content monthly that they can’t immediately verify whether it’s real or AI-generated.

He said this trend is evident in battleground states like Michigan, where, according to the data, about 71% of people have been exposed to political deepfakes.

In Pennsylvania, 61% of respondents reported encountering political deepfakes.

Meanwhile, more than half of respondents reported encountering political deepfakes in Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

In other battleground states, including Arizona and Georgia, nearly half of respondents reported encountering political deepfakes, according to the data.

“In such a polarized election cycle, disinformation can easily exploit existing biases and make their impact even more significant,” Karnik said.

Karnik argued that when people begin to doubt the veracity of what they are seeing and hearing, “a constant feeling of uncertainty sets in, making it easier for false stories to form opinions – especially when the content is first “Aligns with existing beliefs.”

McAfee launches 2024 Election AI Toolkit to help voters learn the basics of spotting deepfakes.