AI deepfakes come of age as billions prepare to vote in a bumper year of elections

Citizens of dozens of countries – including the US, India and most likely the UK – will go to the polls in 2024, and experts say the democratic process is at serious risk of being disrupted by artificial intelligence.

AI fakes have already been used in elections in Slovakia, Taiwan and Indonesia, and they’re being launched into an environment in which trust in politicians, institutions and the media is already low.

Watchdogs are warning that with more than 40,000 layoffs at the tech companies that host and moderate much of this content, digital media is uniquely vulnerable to exploitation.