Catherine Connolly has condemned an AI generated deepfake video that falsely showed her withdrawing from the presidential election.
The video, designed to look like a RTÉ News bulletin, was viewed almost 30,000 times on Facebook before it was removed.
“I am absolutely still a candidate for President of Ireland,” the Ms Connolly said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“The video is a fabrication. It is a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy. I will not be distracted. I will continue my campaign in every county, meeting people and making the case for a hopeful, inclusive presidency.”
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The video was posted to an account called RTÉ News AI.
It was live for almost 12 hours and had been shared nearly 200 times before it was removed. It was one of several videos related to the presidential election on the account in question.
Meta, which owns Facebook, removed the RTÉ News AI account on Wednesday after being contacted by the Irish Independent.
In the video, an AI version of RTÉ newsreader Sharon Ní Bheoláin says: “In the last few minutes at a Catherine Connolly campaign event, Catherine Connolly has confirmed her withdrawal from the presidential race.”
AI-generated footage then shows Ms Connolly purporting to say: “It is with great regret that I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy and the ending of my campaign.”
A supposed supporter from a fake crowd is heard saying “No, Catherine.”
[ Scientists on how to detect deepfake videosOpens in new window ]
The video then cuts to an Al version of RTÉ political correspondent Paul Cunningham, who says: “Now that Catherine Connolly has withdrawn from the race, what does this now mean for the upcoming election on Friday?
“Well, simply put, Friday’s election is now cancelled. It will no longer take place as previously planned. But as for Heather Humphreys, she will become the winner automatically and will be appointed tomorrow.”
Meta confirmed it removed the account as it violated the company’s community standards. The company said it does not allow content that impersonates or falsely represents people, brands, businesses or organisations.
Coimisiún na Meán, the agency which regulates media in Ireland, confirmed it was aware of the video.
“An Coimisiún have contacted the platform concerned to understand the immediate measures they have taken in response to this incident and have reminded the platform of their obligations under the EU Digital Services Act relating to protecting the integrity of elections,” a spokesman said.
The EU Digital Services Act places obligations on online platforms to mitigate against risks such as disinformation or election manipulation.
Ms Connolly holds a commanding lead in the presidential election, according to an Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll published last Thursday.
The poll found that Ms Connolly, on 38 per cent, has almost double the support of her nearest rival, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, on 20 per cent. Support for the Fianna Fáil candidate, Jim Gavin, who stopped his presidential campaign earlier this month but is still on the ballot paper, is at just 5 per cent.
While the number of “don’t knows” remains relatively high, at 18 per cent, the poll suggests Ms Connolly could win on the first count this weekend.
