Jumio unveils 83 Pct Singaporeans Concern Deepfakes May Sway Next Election

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) -- A new research from Jumio has unveiled growing concern among the general public on the political influence artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes may have on Singapore’s next election, and how they might influence trust in online media.

The Jumio 2024 Online Identity Study revealed that 83 per cent of Singapore consumers worried about the potential for AI and deepfakes to influence upcoming elections in their country, compared to 75 per cent globally.

The data found that consumers in the country feel deepfakes undermine trust in politicians and media, with 76 per cent reporting increased scepticism in online content, compared to the last election.

“With half of the global population participating in elections this year, the potential influence and impact of generative AI and deepfakes demand immediate attention.

“Online platforms hold a critical duty to leverage cutting-edge detection measures like multimodal, biometric-based verification systems to fortify our defences against deepfakes influencing pivotal elections,” said Jumio Chief Executive Officer, Robert Prigge in a statement.

Developments in AI and machine learning have made it much easier to create compelling fake news stories, altered images, videos or audio recordings, as well as can fabricate events, statements and appearances, spreading misinformation quickly and deceiving viewers who often take these false narratives as legitimate news.

In Singapore, officials are considering a temporary ban on political deepfakes ahead of the next general elections, which have yet to be called but must happen by November 2025. 

The findings also showed that Singapore consumers are most confident in their ability to easily spot a deepfake of a political figure or celebrity with 60 per cent compared to just 33 per cent in the United Kingdom (UK), 37 per cent in the United States (US) and 51 per cent in Mexico.

Meanwhile, 66 per cent of consumers in Singapore say they trust political news that they see online, despite the possibility of encountering audio, video and image deepfakes, compared to the global average of 43 per cent.

Jumio’s study examined the views of more than 8,000 adult consumers, split evenly across the UK, US, Singapore and Mexico, providing a comprehensive global perspective on the impact of deepfakes.

-- BERNAMA