Can you hear the difference? Trump's voice in this political attack ad isn't real — it's reportedly AI
Alex Wong/Getty Images; John Tully for The Washington Post via Getty Images
- A super PAC backing Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign simulates Trump's voice in an ad.
- The ad makes it seem like Trump spoke some remarks he actually wrote in a Truth Social post.
- The group Never Back Down used technology to mimic his voice, a representative confirmed to Insider.
A political ad attacking 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump features what at first listen might sound like Trump's real voice. But the pugnacious former president wrote those remarks — he didn't actually speak them.
The advertisement released by Never Back Down, a super PAC which supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential bid, uses AI to simulate Trump's voice, Politico first reported, citing a source with knowledge of the advertisement.
The group indeed used "technology" to voice the remarks that Trump wrote in a social media post on his Truth Social platform, a representative for Never Back Down confirmed to Insider. The representative did not provide details on the technology being used, or say if it was artificial intelligence.
By law, DeSantis' campaign is not allowed to directly coordinate with Never Back Down, though the group has found multiple ways to help the Florida Republican's struggling campaign. The group has financed a $100 million effort to reach GOP voters in key early states. It has also hosted DeSantis at events.
Trump's comments featured in the ad, which the group is running in Iowa, had targeted Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. The ad by Never Back Down says, "Trump should fight Democrats, not Republicans. What happened to Donald Trump?" Iowa is home to the critical first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses that will kick off the GOP primary season in less than six months.
DeSantis and his allies have increasingly focused their efforts on Iowa amid his struggles. Trump's decision to attack Iowa Gov. Reynolds, however, risks alienating a popular figure in the key early state.
A representative for Trump's campaign blasted the use of a fake Trump voice in the ad.
"The blatant use of AI to fabricate President Trump's voice is a desperate attempt by Always Back Down and Jeff Roe to deceive the American public because they know DeSanctimonious' campaign is on life support," Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said in a statement to Insider, which made a jab at the name of the Never Back Down group. The statement also used Trump's moniker for DeSantis on the campaign trail.
"After losing big donors and slashing their staff, they have now outsourced their work to AI just like they would like to outsource American jobs to China," LaCivita's statement said, in a reference to layoffs affecting members of DeSantis staff.
Representatives for DeSantis' campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
—DeSantis War Room ???? (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 5, 2023
It's not the first time a DeSantis ad has apparently leveraged AI against Trump's campaign. Last month, an ad by the governor's campaign showed fake pictures of Trump close to Anthony Fauci, the former White House medical adviser who became the face of the US government's COVID-19 response.