Durban — An altercation between ANC and IFP leaders at a function last weekend, and apparently between their supporters as they left, sets an uncertain tone for this campaigning season ahead of the May 29 elections.

Add in the emergence of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, whose name is being disputed by the ANC, and threats by MKP members of dire consequences if the party is left off the ballot, and the political temperature is already rising.

Enter the deepfake to muddy the waters and ramp up tensions even further.

Although not in wide use in South Africa, the ease of creating and distributing such content ensures it is only a matter of time until it begins to have an impact.

It is almost an obligation to cast political opponents in a negative light and it is difficult to imagine local parties and their supporters not taking advantage of the technology.

Already a fake Donald Trump is encouraging people to support the MKP.

University of Virginia political experts warned last year about the use of artificial intelligence (which can create media of people saying and doing things they never said or did) for voter manipulation – “not just through deepfakes, but through the ability of generative AI to be microtargeting on steroids through text message and email campaigns”.

The only defence is for the victim or fact-checking entities to debunk the lie, but attacks can be launched leaving little time for the truth to be revealed, meaning the potential to sway an election is real.

The experts say the technology is so insidious that sceptics can be made to doubt the authenticity of real audio and video evidence.

We need only look to the QAnon phenomenon in the US for evidence of how millions can be manipulated to reject the truth and believe the lie.

The other danger is governments seizing the opportunity to control information based on what they determine to be “true”.

In a province with a history of political violence, it is imperative that voters are educated to verify information before spreading and reacting, and that parties move speedily to correct all fake media.

Independent on Saturday

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Deepfakes a threat to elections