A deepfake video showing Nigel Farage playing Minecraft and blowing up a virtual home of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been debunked by the Reform UK party. The video produced by an AI app, PodcastPilotPro, highlighted the increasing presence of deepfakes in election campaigns. Experts warn that although these deepfakes are mostly obvious, more rudimentary manipulations still pose a deceptive threat.
A deepfake video of
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, appearing as a gaming livestreamer while playing Minecraft has been confirmed as fake by the party.
In the video, Farage claims to have infiltrated Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s virtual home and filled it with TNT.
A spokesperson for Farage clarified that the video was not real, indicating it’s part of an ongoing trend where deepfakes are used for entertainment during election campaigns.
Such deepfakes originated from an AI app, PodcastPilotPro, which allows users to fake podcasts with celebrities.
Despite their visual slickness, these AI-manipulated videos are largely seen as obvious fabrications.
Experts, however, warn of the potential for more rudimentary manipulations to deceive the public.
Recent incidents include altered footage of Labour representatives and a misleading viral video in Dudley, highlighting that while deepfakes haven’t significantly influenced elections yet, they pose a local threat in individual constituencies.