A racist campaign message caused ire among Oklahoma Democrats. But it wasn't real, it was AI
Audio clips attributed to Rep. John Waldron (seated) were generated using artificial intelligence, Waldron and a Tulsa news outlet say. Photo by Doug Hoke / The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman
Days before Oklahoma Democrats were planning to elect a party leader, phones started buzzing.
A recording began circulating of a voice, claiming to be state Rep. John Waldron, making inflammatory racial remarks about his opponent for party chair.
A local news publication jumped on the story.
Except Waldron, who eventually won the election, said it wasn’t him.
Evidence suggests the voice was actually generated by artificial intelligence. Who was behind the recording, and for what purposes, is still unknown.
But the flash controversy points to what experts warn is a growing threat in Oklahoma and across the nation as AI becomes an increasingly easy tool to spread political disinformation and influence elections through lifelike audio and video clips.
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