Donald Trump has once again turned to AI deepfakes, this time posting a video in which he is a doctor treating Rosie O’Donnell, Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts and other celebrities who lament their “Trump derangement syndrome.”
The video, posted on Truth Social, comes as the entertainment industry has pushed for legislation to try to limit deepfakes, including of audio and video distributed without a performer’s permission. The latest legislation, the No Fakes Act, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last month.
In the video, a deepfake of Trump, in white hospital garb, says, “I am doctor Trump, and I have a treatment plan.”
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The O’Donnell deepfake says, “I have been suffering for over a decade, and after listening to Dr. Trump, I can see some results.” Other deepfakes of Whoopi Goldberg, John Leguizamo, Edward Norton, Julia Roberts and Robert De Niro also are featured.
“I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I was constantly angry. I made everyone miserable around me,” De Niro said.
The fake Trump says in the video, “The treatment is simple: Turn off fake news, say your prayers and if you ever feel anxious, just have a Diet Coke like me and you are going to see a remarkable difference in your life.”
The No Fakes Act, which has bipartisan support, gives individuals the right to authorize the use of their voice and likeness in digital replication. It’s unlikely, though, that the type of video that Trump posted would be restricted, as there are exclusions for news, documentary and sports, as well as biographical works, or for purposes of comment, criticism, or parody, among others. At the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, its chairman, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), raised the issue of ensuring that the legislation would not cover instances in which political figures’ satire, as when Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt featured an AI generated image of Mayor Karen Bass in campaign ads.
The bill has broad support among many entertainment industry guilds and unions, studios and record labels, as well as tech companies OpenAI and Google/YouTube. The White House also has indicated its support as part of a national legislative AI framework it released in March.
