AI in politics/ Trump AI memes/ Harris campaign/ political disinformation/ 2024 election AI/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ As the 2024 U.S. presidential race unfolds, artificial intelligence is playing a major role in shaping online content—just not in the way experts feared. Instead of deepfakes, AI-generated memes featuring absurd imagery, such as Donald Trump riding a cat or Kamala Harris in exaggerated costumes, are dominating social media. While often humorous, these AI memes can still spread damaging false narratives, with political campaigns taking advantage of this content to boost their messages.
AI’s Role in 2024 Election Shifts to Absurd Political Memes Quick Looks:
- AI-generated deepfakes haven’t flooded the 2024 election, but absurd political memes are widely shared.
- Donald Trump’s campaign has embraced AI memes, often using humorous or exaggerated imagery.
- AI-generated content is being used to spread false narratives, even if comical, about issues like immigration.
- Kamala Harris’ campaign avoids AI imagery, focusing instead on TikTok trends and traditional memes.
- Experts warn that AI memes, though entertaining, can blur the line between humor and harmful misinformation.
AI Shaping the 2024 Presidential Race with Absurd Memes, Not Deepfakes
Deep Look:
As the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign heats up, artificial intelligence is playing a pivotal role in shaping online discourse. However, instead of the feared deluge of AI-generated deepfakes designed to mislead voters, the most prominent use of AI in the race has been the proliferation of absurd and exaggerated political memes. These AI-generated images, often cartoonish or outlandish in nature, are rapidly spreading across social media, sparking both laughter and concern.
Absurdity in AI Political Memes
Many of the AI-generated images circulating online are so outlandish that they border on the absurd. For instance, one popular meme featured former President Donald Trump riding a cat while wielding an assault rifle. Another depicted Vice President Kamala Harris in communist attire with a mustache, while a more humorous image showed Trump and Harris sharing a passionate embrace. These AI-generated images may be eye-catching, but their ridiculousness often prevents viewers from taking them seriously.
Despite their comedic nature, such AI-generated memes are raising concerns among experts. While they may not be realistic enough to be confused with genuine footage, they still have the potential to spread false information and reinforce harmful narratives. Francesca Tripodi, an expert in online propaganda, pointed out that these memes are a modern vehicle for age-old political messaging, particularly when it comes to sensitive topics like immigration.
Misinformation Wrapped in Humor
One clear example of AI being used to spread misleading narratives came from Trump’s campaign, which promoted a conspiracy theory about Haitian migrants stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. AI-generated memes around this narrative showed Trump surrounded by cats and ducks, and even kittens holding signs reading, “DON’T LET THEM EAT US, Vote for Trump!” While presented as a joke, these images perpetuated a harmful and unfounded conspiracy theory.
Tripodi emphasized that these memes are anything but harmless. “When elected officials use this imagery to perpetuate racism and xenophobia, it becomes a serious problem,” she said, noting that the humorous style of the images can obscure their insidious messaging.
Campaigns Embrace AI-Generated Content
AI-generated political memes are largely being used by Trump’s supporters, who view them as lighthearted and entertaining. Caleb Smith, a Republican strategist, argued that these AI memes are simply a product of Trump’s over-the-top communication style, meant to entertain rather than deceive. “The intent is to entertain, not to deceive,” Smith said. “That is what it should be.”
While Trump’s campaign has embraced these AI creations, his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris has taken a different approach. Harris’ campaign has refrained from using AI-generated memes, instead focusing on TikTok trends and more traditional memes to engage voters. According to Harris campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg, the only authorized use of AI in Harris’ campaign is for productivity tools like data analysis, not for content creation.
Nevertheless, Democrats have used AI to poke fun at political figures like Elon Musk and even generated fake images of Trump in handcuffs. These creations, however, are less prevalent and do not seem to play as central a role in Harris’ campaign strategy.
AI’s Role in Amplifying Political Messages
AI-generated images, with their hyperrealism, can draw new attention to political messages and add weight to false narratives. While some images are clearly meant as satire, others blur the line between humor and disinformation. This has raised concerns among politicians like Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and outspoken Trump critic, who warned that Trump’s campaign is “blurring the line” between political satire and deliberate deception.
The ease of access to AI image generators has also contributed to the rise of these political memes. With AI tools available to anyone with an internet connection, creating viral political content has never been easier. Campaigns and their supporters can respond quickly to online trends and craft targeted, attention-grabbing images.
One Trump supporter, political commentator Paul Ingrassia, described how he used AI to create a viral image of Trump emerging from a lion’s den. After sharing it with the Trump campaign, the image was posted on Trump’s Truth Social account. “The president loved the image,” Ingrassia said, reflecting the campaign’s openness to using AI-generated content to energize its base.
AI Memes Beyond U.S. Borders
The rise of AI-generated political content is not limited to the U.S. Similar tactics have been observed in elections across the globe, from Indonesia to the Netherlands. In Slovakia, AI-generated deepfake audio clips impersonating a liberal party leader spread disinformation about vote rigging just days before parliamentary elections. In the U.S., deepfake audio of President Joe Biden was circulated in robocalls during New Hampshire’s primary.
Even Trump, who has previously expressed concerns about AI, calling it “very dangerous” and “so scary,” has now embraced the technology to amplify his political messages.
The Fine Line Between Humor and Misinformation
Despite the lighthearted tone of many AI memes, their use in politics raises critical questions about the line between humor and harmful misinformation. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, voiced his discomfort with the growing use of AI in politics, saying, “I don’t engage in memes. I never have. I never will.”
As AI continues to reshape how political messages are created and disseminated, the challenge of balancing humor with truth will remain a central issue in the 2024 presidential race.
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