Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, former President Donald Trump has once again resorted to sharing fake images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools to target his opponents and create illusions of support for his own campaign. One such image depicted someone resembling Vice President Kamala Harris addressing what appeared to be a communist rally in Chicago, complete with a red banner featuring a communist symbol. This follows Trump’s reposting of a phony video showing him dancing alongside billionaire Elon Musk, a prominent supporter. Additionally, Trump shared an image of Taylor Swift dressed as Uncle Sam and falsely claimed her endorsement for his campaign.

While some of the images and videos shared by Trump are obviously fake or cartoonish, experts are concerned about the rise of AI-generated content on social media platforms. The proliferation of fake images, videos, and audio clips created by generative AI models not only risks eroding people’s trust in what they see and hear but also enables the spread of more insidious and believable disinformation. Progressive consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen has emphasized the potential harm such misinformation can cause, including the abuse of elections.

One of the AI-generated images shared by Trump on his Truth Social platform showed women wearing “Swifties for Trump” shirts, falsely suggesting Taylor Swift’s support for the former president. Trump added, “I accept!” in his repost, although it remains unclear if he intended the post to be in jest. Swift, who is currently on a world tour and has not endorsed any candidate in this year’s U.S. presidential race, has not commented on the matter.

Trump’s focus on Taylor Swift, a highly influential artist, is seen by Republicans outside his orbit as a strategy to divert attention from Vice President Harris and the Democrats. Political operatives have long been concerned about the implications of AI in elections, with some members of Congress advocating for legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated images in politics. However, no such legislation has made significant progress. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed rules requiring political advertisers to disclose their use of AI in television and radio ads, but these rules do not extend to social media platforms.

While several social media companies have guidelines for labeling AI-generated content, adherence to these guidelines is not always consistent. Misleading and lifelike images of both Trump and Harris continue to accumulate millions of views, with some users unaware that they are viewing fake content. Swift, due to her influence and large fan base, has often become a trending political topic during election years. In 2020, she publicly supported President Joe Biden and expressed her admiration for then-vice presidential nominee Harris. Swift has been critical of Trump, accusing him of fueling “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”

Trump’s campaign is capitalizing on the support generated by his posts, particularly from Swift’s fans who have declared their intention to vote for him. Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, referred to “Swifties for Trump” as a “massive movement that grows bigger every single day.”