Disclaimer: Reality Defender seeks to combat mis/disinformation and the harms caused by dangerous deepfakes and misused AI. We do not, as an organization, take a political stance, and view deepfakes and related ills as an issue that impacts all people, regardless of political or socioeconomic affiliation (among other qualifiers).

Today is Election Day, and though many people have already voted early, most voters are heading to the polls to cast their ballots. At the same time, disinformation groups continue to deploy deepfake content to manipulate public opinion and cast doubt on the democratic process.

This year, major elections worldwide have been marked by a surge in serious deepfake incidents, underscoring the impending challenges as AI-generated media becomes more realistic and malicious actors learn to wield this technology with greater sophistication. 

As the U.S. election heads to a close, below are some of the most concerning deepfake disinformation events that led up to this day:

Joe Biden Robocalls: For the low price of $500, political consultant Steve Kramer deployed deepfake robocalls of the President’s voice asking New Hampshire voters to abstain from the primary.

Deepfakes Surrounding Donald Trump Assassination Attempt: Moments after the shooting, conspiracy theorists deployed deepfakes suggesting the event was staged, alleging a government conspiracy, and showing fake confession from the shooter.

Deepfake of State Department Spokesman: A deepfake video portrayed Matthew Miller as suggesting that Russian cities were fair targets for airstrikes.

Deepfake Falsely Linked Ukraine to Terror Attack in Moscow: The AI-generated video portraying a Ukrainian official as making light of the ISIL attack and suggesting Ukraine’s involvement was shown on state news channels. 

Kamala Harris Accused of Using AI to Boost Rally Crowd Numbers: Harris’ opponents falsely asserted that the candidate utilized AI to add attendees into footage from rallies.

Deepfakes of Donald Trump Arrest: AI-generated images of the candidate being arrested by the NYPD spread quickly across social media, accompanied by fake news stories.

U.S. Senator Found Himself In Zoom Call with Deepfake of Ukrainian Official: Senator Cardin noticed something was off about his video call with the deepfake impersonation of Ukraine’s former minister when the official asked odd questions about U.S. affairs.

Fake Taylor Swift Endorsement: Donald Trump posted AI-generated images implying support from Swift and her fans. The incident showed the importance of labeling AI content to avoid the appearance of deception.

Former U.S. Policeman Paid by Russia to Create Deepfakes: A retired sheriff’s deputy was paid by the Russian military to create deepfakes spreading election disinformation.

Scammers Soliciting Payments to Register Voters: Fraudsters send AI-generated texts to solicit money under the guise of voter registration assistance.

Political AI Ad Showed Fake Cities in Ruin and Chaos at the Border: A major political ad used AI to portray U.S. cities in chaos and dramatize border issues with exaggerated imagery.

Musk Posted Voice Clone of Kamala Harris Without Label: The owner of social media platform X shared a voice deepfake of Harris without AI labeling, alarming disinformation experts.

Russian Bot Farm Targeted by Justice Department for AI Impersonations of Americans: The bot farm leveraged AI to run fake social media accounts rampant with disinformation.

Iranian Group Used ChatGPT to Influence Election with Fake Social Media Comments: OpenAI banned accounts linked to the activities of a group using AI-generated text to spread disinformation.

Slovakia’s Deepfake Election Interference was a Preview of the Future: The country wrestled with disinformation after a deepfake phone call portrayed a candidate as corrupt. The candidate lost the election.

73% of Americans fear that deepfakes will undermine the integrity of elections. So far, the events of 2024 have proven their concerns are justified. As voters make their way to the polls today, they do so in an environment where truth and fiction have become increasingly difficult to distinguish. The surge in sophisticated deepfake incidents this election cycle signals that the battle between democracy and AI-powered disinformation is only beginning — regardless of today's result.