In a surprising turn of events, Georgia state Senator Colton Moore, known for his opposition to legislation banning deepfakes of politicians, appeared in a video supporting such a bill. However, Moore never actually made these statements. The video was a deepfake, created by state Representative Brad Thomas, a Republican co-sponsor of the bill.
The deepfake video showed Moore stating, "The overwhelming number of Georgians believe the use of my personal characteristics against my will is fraud, but our laws don’t currently reflect that." The video further argued that if AI could make Moore support a popular piece of legislation, it could be used to make anyone say things they've never said.
The proposed bill aims to create two new crimes: fraudulent election interference and soliciting fraudulent election interference. These crimes would be punishable by two to five years in prison or fines of up to $50,000. Moore has characterized the bill as a way of punishing "patriots" for "posting memes."
However, the legislation is more complex than it appears. It targets "materially deceptive media," defined as any video, audio, or image file that falsely depicts speech or conduct of political figures within 90 days of an election. To qualify as materially deceptive media, a "reasonable observer" must assume it's authentic.
Moore is a contentious figure in Georgia politics, even among his own party. He was expelled from the state senate’s Republican caucus last fall and was recently banned from the Georgia house chamber.
The Georgia senate press office has not yet responded to requests for comment. This incident underscores the growing concern over the use of deepfakes in politics and the urgent need for legislation to address this issue.
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