An Indonesian political party used generative AI to "resurrect" one of the most violent political figures in the nation's history in a bizarre, deepfaked endorsement message,, the long-dead leader's voice and visage were brought into Indonesia's ongoing election cycle via deepfake by leaders of the nation's Golkar party, the right-wing political group to which Suharto and his New Order Regime once belonged.
"On February 14 2024, we will determine the fate of the Indonesian nation," Golkar party deputy chairman Erwin Aksa, who first shared the video to X, captioned the deepfaked clip "We must elect the right people's representatives and leaders for Indonesia, for all Indonesian people." Harapan dan perjuangan bangsa Indonesia tak akan pernah padam, akan selalu diwujudkan dalam setiap generasi. Mimpi-mimpi Indonesia akan selalu terwujud. Pada 14 Februari 2024, kita akan menentukan nasib bangsa Indonesia. Kita harus memilih wakil rakyat dan pemimpin yang tepat…and has attempted multiple coups in the past — in a seemingly successful attempt to soften the hardline military head's image to younger voters.
Coupled together, these AI use cases feel like an ominous sign of election times. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, a fact that the Golkar party clearly understands. And when a younger electorate is far enough removed from a nation's violent history, rewriting that history, one cuddly AI avatar of a violent general at a time, might get a bit easier.DMCA Policy