2 min
Think You Can Spot an AI Deepfake? New Research Says Think Again
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly visible part of the political information landscape. AI-generated campaign advertising is already appearing in U.S. races, while concerns about deepfakes, misinformation and election security are receiving growing attention. But what happens when voters simply can't tell what is real? New research led by Brandon Amacher, Director of Utah Valley University's Emerging Tech Policy Lab, offers a striking look at that question. The study involved 632 participants from a politically representative sample of the U.S. population and compared reactions to authentic political videos with AI-generated versions. Brandon Amacher is Director of the Emerging Tech Policy Lab at Utah Valley University, where he leads research and technical intelligence initiatives focused on protecting U.S. national security and assessing the strategic impact of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and other advanced technologies. View his profile Researchers found no statistically significant difference in the ability of authentic and deepfake videos to change participants' previously held opinions. Perhaps more concerning, participants struggled to identify the synthetic content even after being told they may have encountered a deepfake. The findings raise timely questions as voters encounter more AI-generated material online: Can voters still trust what they see? Are traditional approaches to media literacy enough? And what can election officials, technology companies and policymakers do as synthetic media becomes increasingly convincing? Amacher can provide insight into the research, the rapidly changing deepfake landscape and what AI-generated media could mean for election security and public trust. If you're interested in speaking with Brandon Amacher, click on his profile below.
