Senator Benjamin Cardin, chairman of the US Foreign Relations Committee, was caught in a video call with a deepfake Dmytro Kuleba. Unknown persons created a diplomatic profile of the former Ukrainian Foreign Minister using artificial intelligence.
Last Thursday, the senator’s office received an email allegedly sent by Dmytro Kuleba requesting a video conference. During the Zoom conversation, the interlocutor looked and sounded like a Ukrainian diplomat.
The senator suspected the fraud when the pseudo-Kuleba began asking provocative questions about the upcoming elections and demanding an opinion on sensitive foreign policy issues. In particular, The interlocutor was interested in supporting the use of long-range missiles in Russia.
Cardin interrupted the conversation and reported the incident to the State Department. They confirmed that the person on the video call was not the real Dmytro Kuleba.
Technology deepfake uses artificial intelligence to create realistic videos with fictional people. Previously, it has been used to imitate public figures, including in 2022 appeared a fake video with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The case of Senator Cardin has heightened fears of possible foreign interference in the US elections in November. US intelligence agencies warn that Russia, Iran, and China could use artificial intelligence and diplomatic hacking to influence the election process.
Although the organizers of the incident are unknown, questions about missile strikes on Russia point to the possible involvement of Russian intelligence services in this operation.
The Senate Security Service urged lawmakers to be vigilant.
«This attempt is notable for its technical complexity and plausibility. It is likely that other similar attempts will be made in the coming weeks», — the statement said.
Meanwhile, in response to the growing threat of dipshits, YouTube started development of new protection tools. They should prevent unauthorized use of the appearance and voice of artists and content creators on the platform.
Source: New York Times
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