Too Far? DeSantis Campaign Uses Fake AI Photos Of Trump And Fauci

In recent weeks we've seen the real-life versions of Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump going after each other throughout their campaign trails. But what happens when the truth becomes fake... or should I say deepfake?

On Thursday, the DeSantis campaign received some criticism for releasing an ad attack against the former President that included fake and AI-generated photos of Trump hugging and embracing Dr. Anthony Fauci. At one point it even looked like Trump was about to kiss Fauci on the nose, which is pretty damn gross considering Fauci has 82-year-old skin that probably tastes like playdough.

And honestly whether you are Team Trump, Team DeSantis, Team Biden or Team Everybody Stinks, a larger question remains - have we come to to the point of no return when it comes to artificial intelligence in our lives?

The DeSantis' team released the attack ad from their "DeSantis War Room" social media accounts. The commercial criticizes Trump for not doing more during the Covid-19 pandemic, including firing Fauci. It then mixes real life photos of Trump and Fauci with AI-generated images of the two that never actually happened. (NOTE: Twitter has since added a Context Warning informing people that the images are doctored)

As far as humor goes, there's no doubt the DeSantis team did a heck of a good job trolling Trump. I can only imagine Trump storming around Mar-a-Lago just irate and screaming "WTF IS THIS!" The fact that Trump openly despises Fauci makes the campaign hit that much better and funnier.

But now the question is if DeSantis went too far.

Do we really want AI involved in the United States Presidential election of all things? Seems like a dangerous precedent.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BECOMING A MAJOR PROBLEM

Although artificial intelligence can be beneficial, there's no question that it is also quickly becoming a problem as well.

Sure, AI has done some humorous things.

Remember a few years ago when the BBC aired a deepfake Christmas message from Queen Elizabeth II?

And here's actress Helen Mirren appearing as the Queen via deepfake technology. Awesome to see what technology can do these days, but also disturbing as well to think how limitless AI is.

However, the risk of the ever-evolving AI comes with dangerous consequences as well.

You have deep fakes tricking people, to hacker's demanding paid ransoms by faking relatives being kidnapped, as well as the overall growth of misinformation via ChatGPT and more.

In a growing digital age where the average person barely does any fact checking on their own (we all have those friends of ours that come across as idiots) to people believing everything they hear, AI's contribution to spreading disinformation and misinformation is growing at an extremely rapid and dangerous pace.

So although DeSantis team essentially made an AI version of a funny meme to rip Trump, there is a larger issue that takes precedent here.

Just how far are we willing to go when it comes to artificial intelligence? Will there be any boundaries, or are we already too far on our way to not trust anyone or anything that we encounter.