Jumio, the provider of automated, AI-driven identity verification, risk signals and compliance solutions, recently unveiled new insights from its Jumio 2024 Online Identity Study. The study highlights increasing concerns among Americans about the potential political impact of AI and deepfakes in upcoming elections and their influence on trust in online media. Deepfakes, which are fake media created using AI and machine learning to manipulate images, videos, or audio recordings, can fabricate events, statements, and appearances. This technology can rapidly spread misinformation, misleading viewers who often perceive these false narratives as genuine news.

Recent examples highlight the real-world impact of deepfakes on political processes. In February 2024, an audio deepfake mimicking President Joe Biden was used in an automated phone call urging Democratic voters in New Hampshire not to vote in the primary election. Another instance involved a deepfake video of former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak endorsing controversial policies he never supported, which quickly spread online. These incidents demonstrate how deepfakes can be weaponized to disrupt elections and erode public trust worldwide​.

Jumio’s study examined the views of more than 8,000 adult consumers, split evenly across the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore and Mexico, providing a comprehensive global perspective on the impact of deepfakes. The data revealed that:
● 72% of American consumers are worried about the potential for AI and deepfakes to influence upcoming elections in their country.
● U.S. consumers feel deepfakes undermine trust in politicians and media, with 70% reporting increased skepticism in the content they see online, compared to the last election.
● Only 46% of global consumers believe they could easily spot a deepfake of a political figure or celebrity. This drops to 37% in the U.S. and confidence wanes by age group, with only 22% of Americans age 55 or older trusting their ability.
● Only 43% of global consumers say they trust political news that they see online, despite the possibility of encountering audio, video and image deepfakes. Americans are much less trusting (32%).

“With half of the global population participating in elections this year, the potential influence and impact of generative AI and deepfakes demand our immediate attention,” said Jumio CEO Robert Prigge. “Public faith in online information is crumbling, demanding a transparent discourse to confront this challenge and empower citizens with the tools to discern and report deepfakes. Online platforms hold a critical duty to leverage cutting-edge detection measures like multimodal, biometric-based verification systems to fortify our defenses against deepfakes influencing pivotal elections.”