Elon Musk Breaks Own X Policy, Shares Deepfake Of Kamala Harris

Elon Musk recently posted a deepfake video of Vice President Kamala Harris on the social media platform X, which appears to violate the platform’s policy against synthetic and manipulated media. The video, which Musk labeled as “amazing” with a laughing emoji, alters a campaign ad to make Harris say things she did not, such as calling herself “the ultimate diversity hire” and referring to President Joe Biden as “the ultimate deep state puppet.” The original account that posted the video labeled it as a parody, but Musk’s repost did not include this context.

This incident highlights ongoing concerns about the role of AI-altered media in elections and the challenge of creating laws to address it. Earlier examples include AI-generated robocalls mimicking President Biden’s voice. Platforms like X have policies against misleading content, but enforcement remains inconsistent. X’s guidelines prohibit media that has been “significantly and deceptively altered” and could lead to public confusion or harm, though satire is generally allowed if it doesn’t cause significant confusion.

Musk’s post has faced backlash, particularly from Democratic figures like Senator Amy Klobuchar and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Klobuchar criticized the post for potentially unleashing a flood of AI-altered content without regulation. Newsom also condemned the manipulation, indicating that he would soon sign a bill making such actions illegal. Musk responded dismissively, reinforcing his view that parody is protected under American law.