Most voters CBS News Atlanta spoke with Monday said they could not tell when a political ad used artificial intelligence.
"I cannot, I definitely cannot. It's all confusing," said Darrell Pharms, a voter.
A voter named Larry said he could "not really" tell. J'Din Smith said, "I don't know."
Luis Carrillo said he can spot some fakes by looking at the background or what a person is wearing.
"Sometimes I can, sometimes I can," Carrillo said.
Brian Magerko, PhD, is a Regents' Professor and the Wesley Chair for New Media Studies at Georgia Tech. He said making a fake video takes "a few minutes of downloading an app or installing software on your computer."
"It's free. I mean, they're free apps to do this," Magerko said.
Magerko said a good photo is often enough to make a fake video. He said cloning a voice took about seven seconds of audio.
Andra Gillespie, PhD, teaches political science at Emory University. She said campaigns used actors in ads long before AI.
"And so there have been ads that have used human actors to parody or depict opponents," said Gillespie.
Gillespie said AI brings new problems.
"I think a question that comes up this cycle is what happens when you use AI to generate images in ads? And there aren't enough ethical guardrails, and there aren't enough legal guardrails in place to govern what happens," Gillespie said.
The National Conference of State Legislatures said 31 states have rules on deepfakes in political ads. Georgia does not.
Patrick Dicks, PhD, is an AI and automation expert. He said no tool can reliably detect a fake video right now.
"It comes down to you and I, the people," said Dicks.
Gillespie said people are easier to fool when an ad tells them what they want to hear.
"And so when people are telling you what you want to hear, you don't always, kind of discern when people are lying to you," said Gillespie.
She said voters should check whether trusted news outlets are reporting the same claim.
"Check to see that it's being reported in outlets that are familiar and that you trust," said Gillespie.
Dicks said voters should question every ad. Magerko said voters should not ask an AI chatbot for help.
"Go to trusted sources and read about the issues and about the candidates," Magerko said.
Carrillo said he already does his own research before he votes.
"Absolutely. You have to question everything," said Carrillo.
Election Day is Tuesday. The Georgia Secretary of State said voters can find their polling place on its My Voter Page.
