London Mayor Sadiq Khan has sent a renewed warning on the deepfake audio clip of him which had the potential to cause “serious disorder”.
Last November, the audio was created using artificial intelligence (AI) to imitate Khan’s voice making comments to denigrate the annual Remembrance weekend events with a call for Palestine solidarity marches to be given priority.
We need new laws on AI deepfakes.
AI should not be able to be used to manufacture dangerous lies without consequence.https://t.co/8gMWxhCrrX
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) February 14, 2024
The Mayor of London is a political role with the responsibility of setting the budget for the United Kingdom capital. The office has an annual budget of £17 billion to oversee public services and policies for Londoners, with the Mayor elected every four years.
The 53-year-old Labour politician was speaking to a BBC podcast this week on the high-profile incident which resulted in Khan describing deepfakes and AI as a “slippery slope for democracy” if the technology is not regulated effectively.
Purporting to sound like a secret recording, the clip referenced the 1965 Million March civil rights protest in Washington DC attended overwhelmingly by people of color.
“I don’t give a flying s*** about the Remembrance weekend,” the voice said. “What’s important and paramount is the one-million-man Palestinian march takes place on Saturday.”
The fake audio contained further remarks stating “I control the Met (London) Police, they will do as the Mayor of London tells them” and saying “The British public needs to get a grip” and “the buck stops with me”.
This deepfake video, shared by the far-right on social media, was a clear attempt to sow hatred and division ahead of Remembrance Day.
We can’t overstate the grave danger this new technology poses to our politics and democratic freedoms. https://t.co/9TiL30Gfmc
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) February 14, 2024
Malicious deepfake of Sadiq Khan
In what was likely to be the intended motivation, the deepfake triggered a large volume of hateful comments against Mr Khan on social media after it went viral, including among far-right groups.
“The timing couldn’t have been better if you’re seeking to sow disharmony and cause problems,” Khan told the BBC.
“What was being said was a red rag to a bull for the far right and others. But what concerned me the most was if you’re an innocent listener of this. Because it’s a secret undercover recording, in inverted commas, because it sounds like me, because of the timing and the context.”
On November 11, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it had investigated the audio but it “does not constitute a criminal offence”, with no existing UK criminal law to deal with this type of situation.
Mayor Khan added the abuse of AI “wasn’t a bit of fun” or “satire” and its maker had not been “naive” to the possible consequences.
The deepfake recording was traced to TikTok and what appears to be the source of the clip, an account called HJB News which the BBC report indicated shares anti-immigration and racist content.
Image: East London Mosque/Flickr/ CC 2.0
