Fake images of Prime Minister Kishida are being spread one after another on SNS. Some are composites of photos, while others are cut and pasted actual footage and used in different contexts, and experts warn that political fakes are on the rise as processing becomes easier with generative AI. I'm calling.
Since February 12th, a fake image has been circulating on the old Twitter account X that appears to show Prime Minister Kishida sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed and being glared at by a senior American government official.
The image is a photo taken in April 2022 of a meeting between a high-ranking US government official and Brazil's foreign minister, with Prime Minister Kishida replaced.The image shows Prime Minister Kishida with an unnatural finger shape, part of the background distorted, and the pattern of the carpet. Chair armrests were added.
The fake image was posted by an account that repeatedly posts in support of Russia, and it has been viewed more than 700,000 times, including reposted images.
In addition, false information was spread on X, which purported to be a cut-and-paste video of Prime Minister Kishida saying things like ``10% are Japanese and the remaining 90% are immigrants.''
The video takes out of context a portion of Prime Minister Kishida's remarks in July 2023, in which he cited countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which have a large foreign population, and said that we should consider a cohesive society that fits Japan's reality. It was posted by an account that opposes coexistence with foreigners and has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.
In 2023, a fake video of Prime Minister Kishida using generative AI to appear to have said something that he did not actually say was also released, so it is important to check the source of the information so that it does not spread easily. It's important.
Shinichi Yamaguchi, an associate professor at International University who is an expert on countering disinformation, said, ``Advances in technology such as generative AI have made it easier for anyone to manipulate images and videos, and political fakes are on the rise. "This poses a great danger to the very foundations of democracy, as it could lead to the division of society."