A viral video has shown the prime minister endorse the leader of the opposition to be prime minister.
Or has it?
A video known as a deepfake is showing Boris Johnson endorse Jeremy Corbyn to be prime minister. The video shows the prime minister say: “Hi folks, I am here with a very special message. Since that momentous day in 2016, division has coursed through our country as we argue with fantastic passion, vim, and vigour, about Brexit.
“My friends, I wish to rise above this divide and endorse my worthy opponent, the Right Honourable Jeremy Corbyn, to be prime minister of our United Kingdom.
“Only he, not I, can make Britain great again.”
However, the video is an example of breakthroughs in AI, machine learning, and facial recognition technology which can be used to make it appear as though someone is saying things which they are not.
The deepfake prime minister explains: “Alas, why should you believe me? Much like Odysseus and his encounter with the cyclops, Polyphemus, I, too, am nobody.
“I am a fake. A ‘deepfake’ to be precise. And as you can see, even I, the prime minister, can be affected by them. Yes. The unregulated power of technologies like this risk fuelling misinformation, eroding trust, and compromising democracy.
“Help us rugby tackle deepfakes, not children, at futureadvocacy.org/deepfakes. Castigat ridendo mores! [Discipline, laughing manners!]”
Another viral video produced by the company shows the leader of the opposition give his support to Boris Johnson but is also a deepfake.