THE Department of Information and Communications Technology DICT) expects the possible utilization of “deep fake” in the 2025 midterm elections.
In an interview in Malacañang on Monday, DICT Secretary Ivan Uy said digital manipulation is expected to be used in the forthcoming national polls.
Asked about the possible use of deep fakes and artificial intelligence (AI) during the campaigns, Uy replied; “I have no doubt it will be utilized.”
“You know, elections sometimes can be extremely dirty,” he added.
According to Uy, candidates in today’s political arena will go to great lengths to secure victory, often leveraging the power of social media. These platforms have become essential for launching campaigns and engaging voters, offering wider reach.
“You know, there are candidates who will resort to nothing less than full domination (just) to be elected,” Uy said.
The secretary said however, the same platforms that enable the spread of information can also facilitate disinformation.
“That’s’ why they can only launch it on social media platforms. That’s the platform that has gained traction, and again we go back to my position, which is that this made the platform the enabler (of information and disinformation).
President Marcos himself fell victim to the use of deep fake last month after a video of an individual, who looked like him purportedly using narcotics was circulated online.
However, authorities flagged the video as “fake and malicious”.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline DICT warns malicious use of deepfakes, AI in 2025 midterm elections
