AI deepfake chaos disrupts South Korea’s National Assembly audit
Chaos erupted in South Korea’s National Assembly after an AI deepfake video, shown by lawmaker Kim Jang-kyun and depicting officials in a secret meeting, sparked outrage. The video disrupted proceedings and highlighted the risks of AI misinformation.
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Chaos erupted in South Korea’s National Assembly after an AI deepfake video, shown by lawmaker Kim Jang-kyun and depicting officials in a secret meeting, sparked outrage. The video disrupted proceedings and highlighted the risks of AI misinformation.
There was confusion abounding in the South Korean parliament, as the People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kim Jang-kyun played an AI deepfake video, depicting Vice Minister Bae-Kyung-hoon and former Judiciary Committee Chairman Lee Chun-seok having a secret meeting.
The aim was to highlight the growing and broader use of deepfakes and show how they can be misused. However, lawmakers soon took offence to the clip and pointed out that it was inappropriate to be provocative, especially during the formality of a National Assembly audit.
Kim defended himself by asserting that “cases of AI misuse and side effects are countless. The deepfake video was prepared to raise awareness.”
The ensuing debate over the video soon heated up and delayed proceedings in parliament, causing procedural chaos in the chambers. The Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee adjourned the meeting after an hour and a quarter.
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Awareness turns into chaos
Minister Kim Jang-kyun made a bold move by demonstrating precisely how AI can deceive an audience, but it backfired. The lawmakers insisted that by showing real people, Kim had effectively blurred the line between awareness and manipulation.
The problem for the Korean parliament is that the attention swiftly turned toward dysfunction, as the ministers hurled expletives at each other, though it remains unclear whether the AI video was the sole cause of this.
Other examples of how AI deepfake videos have caused waves in politics include former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appearing on Facebook in over 100 deepfake videos in early 2024.
Those particular videos reached over 400,000 people and were made by unknown actors. However, when UK research/analysis firm Fenimore Harper unearthed them, it showed an uncanny likeness to Sunak’s voice, along with credible impersonations of BBC news snippets.
The case in the Korean parliament, however, is more ironic. A minister, intending to use a deepfake to open a discussion, instead found the walls of chaos and confusion closing in on him.
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