ALI SWENSON

National political reporter

Swenson reports on election-related misinformation, disinformation and extremism for The Associated Press.

AI fakery is quickly becoming one of the biggest problems confronting us online. With AI deepfakes cropping up almost every day, depicting everyone from Taylor Swift to Donald Trump, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real from what’s not. The following photo-illustrated graphic highlights a few notable areas of an AI-deepfake of Pope Francis.

One Tech Tip: How to spot AI-generated deepfake images

AI fakery is quickly becoming one of the biggest problems confronting us online. Deceptive pictures, videos and audio are proliferating thanks to the rise and misuse of generative artificial intelligence tools.

People are reflected in a window of a hotel at the Davos Promenade in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

AI-created election disinformation is deceiving voters globally

It’s now easy for any smartphone user to create fake – but convincing – content aimed at fooling voters.

A voter enters a polling site for the Presidential primary election on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Website warning of cyberattack in Georgia’s largest county removed after it confused some voters

Officials in Georgia’s most populous county have removed a banner from their website warning of an “unexpected IT outage” after it created confusion on the final day of voting for the presidential primary.

FILE - Meta's president of global affairs Nick Clegg speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2024. Adobe, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok and other companies are gathering at the Munich Security Conference on Friday to announce a new voluntary framework for how they will respond to AI-generated deepfakes that deliberately trick voters. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery

Major technology companies signed a pact Friday to voluntarily adopt “reasonable precautions” to prevent artificial intelligence tools from disrupting democratic elections worldwide.

FILE - Jessica Rosenworcel, a Federal Communications Commission commissioner, speaks during hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 24, 2020. The Federal Communications Commission is outlawing robocalls that contain voices generated by artificial intelligence. The decision sends a clear message that exploiting the technology to scam people and mislead voters won’t be tolerated. (Alex Wong/Pool via AP, File)

AI-generated voices in robocalls can deceive voters. The FCC just made them illegal

The Federal Communications Commission is outlawing robocalls that contain voices generated by artificial intelligence.

This photograph was taken on Feb. 6, 2024, through the front windows of an office front in a strip shopping mall in Arlington, Texas. It lists the name of Life Corporation, which has been identified by the New Hampshire attorney general as the source of robocalls that used artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden's voice and discourage people from voting in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary last month. Authorities have issued cease-and-desist orders and subpoenas against Life Corporation and another company they say transmitted the calls. (AP Photo/JAmie Stengel)

Authorities target two Texas firms in probe of AI-generated robocalls before New Hampshire’s primary

Authorities are issuing cease-and-desist orders against two Texas companies they believe were connected to robocalls that used artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice and discourage people from voting in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary last month.

Philly sheriff’s campaign takes down bogus ‘news’ stories posted to site that were generated by AI

Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s campaign is acknowledging that a series of positive “news” stories posted to her campaign website were generated by ChatGPT.

FILE - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 23, 2019. Meta's Oversight Board said Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, that it is urging the company to clarify its approach to manipulated media so its platforms can better beat back the expected flood of online election disinformation this year. The recommendations come after the board reviewed an altered video of President Joe Biden that was misleading but didn't violate the company's policies. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Oversight board urges Meta to rethink its policy on manipulated media in high-stakes election year

An oversight board is criticizing Facebook owner Meta’s policies on manipulated media as “incoherent” and insufficient to address online disinformation in a major election year.

A vehicle is parked in the driveway of a home that was a scene of a murder in Levittown, Pa., on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. A man has been charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after his father was found decapitated. Police are investigating a video on social media that allegedly shows him holding up the head. The father was found beheaded in the bathroom of his home in Levittown, on Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A beheading video was on YouTube for hours, raising questions about why it wasn’t taken down sooner

A graphic video from a Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his father that circulated for hours on YouTube has put a spotlight yet again on gaps in social media companies’ ability to prevent horrific postings from spreading across the web.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump walks backstage after speaking at a primary election night party in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. Voter fraud was one thing Trump didn't complain about after his primary win in New Hampshire. While Trump generally refrains from claiming voter fraud in elections he wins, he spends plenty of time laying the groundwork to cry fraud should he lose an upcoming vote. He's already been doing that with an eye toward November's general election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Trump leans into voter fraud playbook, preparing to cry foul if he loses expected Biden rematch

GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump generally refrains from claiming voter fraud in elections he wins, but he is spending plenty of time laying the groundwork to cry fraud should he lose an expected rematch with President Joe Biden.

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room, Jan. 19, 2024, in Washington. Authorities issued cease-and-desist orders Tuesday against two Texas companies they believe were connected to robocalls that used artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice and discourage people from voting in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary last month. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

New Hampshire investigating fake Biden robocall meant to discourage voters ahead of primary

The New Hampshire attorney general’s office says it is investigating reports of an apparent robocall that used artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice and discourage voters in the state from participating in Tuesday’s primary election.

FILE - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law hearing on artificial intelligence, May 16, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. ChatGPT maker OpenAI has outlined a plan, spelled out in a blog post on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, to prevent its tools from being used to spread election misinformation as voters in more than 50 countries around the world prepare to vote in national elections in 2024. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Here’s how ChatGPT maker OpenAI plans to deter election misinformation in 2024

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has outlined a plan to prevent its artificial intelligence tools from being used to spread election misinformation in 2024.

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a commit to caucus rally, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Clinton, Iowa. Trump is seizing on his party's frustration with the recent surge of illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border to churn up fears around voter fraud. Ahead of Iowa's caucuses next week, the former Republican president has repeatedly suggested that Democrats are planning to sign unauthorized migrants up to vote in 2024.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Trump suggests unauthorized migrants will vote. The idea stirs his base, but ignores reality

Donald Trump is seizing on his party’s frustration with the recent surge of illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border to churn up fears around voter fraud.

Oren Etzioni poses for photos at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence where he serves as advisor & board member, Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Seattle. Experts are warning that the spread of misinformation could get worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections

Experts are warning that the spread of misinformation could get worse in the coming presidential election contest.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a commit to caucus rally, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Waterloo, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Trump defends controversial comments about immigrants poisoning the nation’s blood at Iowa rally

Former President Donald Trump is defending his comments about migrants crossing the southern border, who he had said are poisoning the blood of America.

Congressional candidate’s voter outreach tool is latest AI experiment ahead of 2024 elections

A phone-banking tool powered entirely by artificial intelligence is getting its first real-world test in a Pennsylvania Democrat’s congressional campaign.

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks during a Commit to Caucus rally, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Ankeny, Iowa. Experts in political messaging say former President Donald Trump’s remarks that his supporters must “guard the vote” in 2024 are potentially dangerous and could lead to confrontations at polling place. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney, File)

Trump tells supporters, ‘Guard the vote.’ Here’s the phrase’s backstory and why it’s raising concern

Former President Donald Trump is urging supporters to “guard the vote” during next year’s election, a phrase that set off alarm bells among pro-democracy advocates who say it signals permission to his followers to take extreme measures.

FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, May 4, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. Campaigns will be required to clearly state that political advertisements airing in Michigan were created with the use of artificial intelligence under legislation expected to be signed in the coming days by Whitmer. The use of AI-generated deepfakes within 90 days of an election will be prohibited without a disclosure identifying the media as manipulated. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Michigan to join state-level effort to regulate AI political ads as federal legislation is pending

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign legislation in the coming days aimed at curbing deceptive uses of artificial intelligence and manipulated media.

FILE - Violent rioters supporting President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. A former Republican legislative candidate who traveled to Washington for former President Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally was arrested Friday, July 21, 2023, and charged with federal crimes for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, officials said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Fears of political violence are growing as the 2024 campaign heats up and conspiracy theories evolve

Experts on extremism fear that the threat of politically motivated violence will intensify as the 2024 presidential campaign heats up.

FILE - Moms for Liberty founder Tiffany Justice speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla. Moms for Liberty has recently reported $2.1 million in total revenue in 2022. That's more than five times what the conservative “parental rights” nonprofit made in its inaugural year in 2021, according to tax filing provided to The Associated Press on Friday. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Moms for Liberty reports over $2 million in revenue, with bulk of contributions from two donors

Moms for Liberty has reported $2.1 million in total revenue in 2022. That’s more than five times what the conservative “parental rights” nonprofit made in its inaugural year in 2021, according to a tax filing provided to The Associated Press on Friday.

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, June 30, 2023. Moms for Liberty says it has removed two Kentucky chapter chairs from their leadership roles after they posed in photos with members of the far-right group the Proud Boys, one of several controversies the conservative “parental rights” nonprofit has fended off in its polarizing rise to prominence in public schools across the country. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Moms for Liberty removes two Kentucky chapter leaders who posed with far-right Proud Boys

Moms for Liberty says it’s removed two Kentucky chapter chairs from leadership positions after they posed in photos with members of the far-right group the Proud Boys.

AP News Verification - Elections Graphic

A gas leak at a Kentucky polling place fuels false claims of election fraud

Social media users are questioning the incident that briefly paused voting at a polling place in Kentucky’s most populous county, insinuating that it was a ruse to give Beshear the votes he needed to win reelection.

Dale Swanson, chair of the Spotsylvania County GOP, displays an official GOP sample ballot she was handing out at an early voting location in Fredericksburg, Va., on Oct. 17, 2023, while lamenting a campaign that is seeing "dirty tricks being played all over the place." She and Democrats alike were upset that a candidate for Spotsylvania County clerk of court was distributing sample ballots that resembled those of the parties, until a judge barred him from doing so. Swanson said civility is lacking in many races for local offices, including school boards, and "we need a better, kinder America." (AP Photo/Cal Woodward)

Virginia school board elections face a pivotal moment as a cozy corner of democracy turns toxic

Over the past three years, local school board elections have become the place where America’s deep political divisions are on full display.

FILE - Text from the ChatGPT page of the OpenAI website is shown in this photo, in New York, Feb. 2, 2023. A majority of American adults think artificial intelligence tools will increase the spread of false and misleading information in the 2024 presidential election. That's one of the findings from a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Poll shows most US adults think AI will add to election misinformation in 2024

A majority of American adults think artificial intelligence tools will increase the spread of false and misleading information in the 2024 presidential election.

FILE - Signs for and against a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights in Ohio stand in front of the Greene County Board of Elections in Xenia, Ohio, Oct. 11, 2023. Abortion rights supporters have raised nearly twice as much money as anti-abortion groups in the fall campaign related to a constitutional amendment that would ensure abortion access in Ohio. Much of the money comes from national groups or wealthy donors outside the state. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

Abortion rights supporters far outraise opponents and rake in out-of-state money in Ohio election

Supporters of a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution are far outraising their anti-abortion opponents in the months leading up to the November election.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks during a campaign event at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee )

Man arrested after trespassing twice in one day at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s home in Los Angeles

Police say they have arrested a man who trespassed twice in one day at the California home of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Padrig and Gina Fahey hold a photo of their son, Braden, 12, as they stand for a portrait in California on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Braden collapsed at football practice in August 2022 and died of a malformed blood vessel in the brain. The Faheys couldn’t understand how Braden’s face appeared on the cover of the book “Cause Unknown,” which was co-published by an anti-vaccine group led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., or why his name appeared inside it. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Takeaways from AP’s reporting on who gets hurt by RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine work

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent years disseminating false information about vaccines in a time when spreading conspiracy theories has become a powerful way to grow a constituency.

Padrig and Gina Fahey hold a photo of their son, Braden, 12, as they stand for a portrait in California on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Braden collapsed at football practice in August 2022 and died of a malformed blood vessel in the brain. The Faheys couldn’t understand how Braden’s face appeared on the cover of the book “Cause Unknown,” which was co-published by an anti-vaccine group led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., or why his name appeared inside it. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

RFK Jr. spent years stoking fear and mistrust of vaccines. These people were hurt by his work

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent years disseminating false information about vaccines in a time when spreading conspiracy theories has become a powerful way to grow a constituency.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks during a campaign event at Independence Mall, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

RFK Jr.'s independent run for president draws GOP criticism and silence from national Democrats

Republicans are attacking Robert F. Kennedy as he drops his Democratic primary bid and launches an independent run for the White House.

RNC’s livestreaming partner for the GOP debate is a haven for disinformation and extremism

The exclusive online livestream for the second Republican presidential debate this week will take place on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform that has been criticized for allowing far-right extremism, bigotry, election disinformation and conspiracy theories.