Pro-DeSantis group uses AI Trump voice to quote former president’s Truth Social post in new ad
ATLANTA, Ga. (FLV) – Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in 2024, released a new political ad attacking former President Donald Trump over recent criticisms of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The ad centers around Trump’s Truth Social post where he slammed the Iowa Republican governor, who frequently appears alongside DeSantis on the campaign trail in Iowa.
The ad displays a quote from Trump on his own social media platform July 10, and has an AI voice sounding similar to Trump’s read it.
“I opened up the governor position for Kim Reynolds, and when she fell behind I endorsed her, did big rallies, and she won,” the post and AI Trump said. “Now she wants to remain ‘neutral’. I don’t invite her to events!”
“Trump should fight Democrats not Republicans,” the narrator said. “The former President’s attack was lobbed ahead of Gov. Reynolds signing into law Iowa’s heartbeat bill protecting the lives of the unborn, which Trump has criticized as ‘too harsh.’ Trump also skipped last week’s Family Leadership Summit in Iowa after his direct attacks on Reynolds.”
Never Back Down said in an email that the latest attack ad on Trump is airing in Iowa markets “as part of a seven-figure ad buy.” They noted that this latest release follows six other ads from the super PAC.
Trump supporters on social media decried the latest attack ad for its use of AI.
“This is a dirty, dirty move. AI use in political ads should be BANNED!” Alex Bruesewitz, CEO of X Strategies and a supporter of Trump’s, said.
“This is nowhere near as bad as the Fauci photos but it does show DeSantis supporters want to double down on AI ads,” political commentator Tim Pool commented.
Never Back Down’s use of AI comes weeks after the DeSantis campaign used AI-generated images of Trump embracing and kissing Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was a figurehead of the federal coronavirus pandemic response in 2020.
The video was targeting and criticizing Trump for not firing Fauci during his time as president – rather, including Fauci in the task force against COVID-19 and placing him in front of the press as a figurehead for the federal response to the pandemic.
“Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television,*” the DeSantis War Room tweeted. “But when it came to Fauci…”
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has only recently become so accurate that images can look like real photos at a user’s request.
“What a phony,” Jason Miller, a member of the Trump campaign, said of the images.
A source with knowledge of DeSantis’ political operation slammed members of Trump’s team for being upset about the video.
“I’d ask them why they have been continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the governor,” the source said.
