With Joe Biden’s mental health becoming a top 2024 issue, Democrats are in a bind. The June 27 debate was an unspinnable disaster. Biden can’t de-age, and it’s unlikely he’ll get better as the campaign season becomes even more grueling. He was still gassed after nearly two weeks of rest and vacation following two rudimentary presidential trips overseas before the debate and still got destroyed by Donald Trump. On top of voters thinking he’s too old, some top Democrats and donors remain laser-focused on trying to remove him from the ticket. For now, Biden has resisted the calls for him to step aside. Still, the Huffington Post opted to publish this insane opinion piece which ironically blows up the ‘Biden is a victim of cheap fakes’ narrative.
That line already got obliterated in the debate, but this is a desecration of a corpse material here. The liberal publication suggested that artificial intelligence should be used to make Biden sound less old. That’s right: the Democrats should basically create cheap fakes of Biden’s speech skills to deceive voters [emphasis mine]:
The stakes of the 2024 presidential election cannot be overstated. With Donald Trump promising to act as a dictator “on day one,” it is not hyperbolic to say the future of American democracy hangs in the balance. Against this backdrop, the Biden campaign faces a critical challenge: conveying a strong and effective image of President Joe Biden to a population and media ecosystem increasingly focused on optics over substance. Given the president’s concerning performance last week, it’s time for the Biden campaign to consider leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to effectively reach the voting public.
While of course there are reasonable hesitations to break this dam on the use of modern technology in presidential campaigning, the consequences of not taking this approach could be dire. Moreover, in the currently under-regulated electoral landscape, refusing to use modern tools like AI is akin to entering the boxing ring with one hand tied behind your back.
Joe Biden is old and has had a lifelong stutter. He acknowledged in a fiery rally following his debate performance: “I might not walk as easily or talk as smoothly as I used to.” This has impeded his ability to communicate with mass audiences with consistent success. AI augmentations and video renderings could serve to smooth out these bumps while allowing the Biden campaign to effectively disseminate true information about the state of our democracy and the Biden administration’s accomplishments. The president has limited time to campaign as he also focuses on running the country, and AI would be a cost-effective and efficient way to communicate his message personally and directly to voters.
Despite an ambitious and widely praised first term in office, he is currently trailing in polls to a man who incited an insurrection and was recently convicted on 34 felony counts. Something needs to change, and much to the chagrin of West Wing fanatics in the beltway, it won’t be the Democrats’ 2024 nominee. Modern technology offers a clear solution. AI can be used to polish how the president comes across, allowing voters to focus on his substance. How many times have we heard voters and pundits alike gripe that “Biden would be the perfect candidate if he were just 10 years younger?” With modern technology, this exact deliverable is possible.
Reasonably, some may challenge the use of AI as dishonest and deceptive, but the current information ecosystem is arguably no better. It may even be worse. Media outlets like the New York Post have engaged in sharing deceptively cropped viral clips of the president, dubbed ‘cheapfakes,’ to make him appear confused or weak. Though no excuse for Biden’s weak debate performance, CNN elected to allow Trump to lie for the full 90-minute debate with zero fact-checking. They offered fact-checking over an hour after the debate, which realistically, a mere fraction of the debate audience stayed tuned for. Social media outlets like Instagram and TikTok have cracked down on political content, while rightwing billionaire Elon Musk has used Twitter to amplify false information about the election and boost Republicans. Even once great institutions like The Washington Post have transitioned into Murdoch-style tabloids.
We must ask the question, are augmented AI videos that present Biden in his best form ― while sharing honest and accurate information ― really more socially damaging than our information ecosystem’s current realities? I think not.
AI-generated content can be tailored to highlight President Biden’s accomplishments, clearly articulate his policies, and present a consistent, compelling message. In an era where visual mediums and quick, digestible content dominate public perceptions, AI offers an opportunity for more effective communication. These AI-enhanced videos could ensure that the public does not make decisions about the future of our democracy based on an inconveniently timed cough, stray stutter, or healthy but hobbled walk (Biden suffers from a ‘stiff gait’).
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/07/05/huffington-post-biden-should-use-ai-to-deceive-the-public-about-his-mental-health-n2641400
