Keir Starmer deepfake shows alarming AI fears are already here

As politicans find themselves targeted by advances in deepfakes, the pubilc will have to be on guard not to get duped, writes Anthony Cuthbertson. But given they are so convincing, is it time for a tech solution?

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is silhouetted as he watches a video screen on day one of the annual Labour party conference on 8 October, 2023, in Liverpool, England (Getty Images)

Just a week after Slovakia scrambled to deal with an AI-generated recording designed to influence national elections, the UK Labour Party has become the target of deepfake audio. “I’m sick of this,” one of the clips, which appeared to be from a secret recording of party leader Keir Starmer, stated. “I f***ing hate Liverpool.”

Despite being debunked and deleted from some platforms, the fake recordings still received millions of views across social media, and highlighted what Tory MP Simon Clarke described as “a new threat to democracy”.

In Slovakia, the purported audio of candidate Michal Simecka plotting to rig the election emerged just two days before it took place – potentially contributing to his loss to his pro-Russia, populist opponent Robert Fico. Unlike Simecka, Starmer isn’t facing an imminent election, however in both cases the AI-generated audio appeared convincing enough to fool people into thinking they were real.