London mayor says deepfake audio of him risked causing ‘serious disorder’

LONDON: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that an AI-generated audio supposedly featuring him making inflammatory comments prior to Armistice Day risked causing “serious disorder.”

The fabricated recording has the mayor expressing support for pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in London on the same day as Armistice Day last Nov. 11.

In the faked recording, the voice said: “What’s important and paramount is the one-million-man Palestinian march takes place on Saturday.”

It added: “I control the Met Police, they will do as the mayor of London tells them.” The voice also said that “the British public need to get a grip,” suggesting that the situation in Gaza deserved more attention than the commemoration of Armistice Day, which marks the end of the First World War.

The incident reignited the heated debate over legislation on deepfake technology.

The mayor criticised the existing laws on AI-generated misinformation, saying that the creator of the clip “got away with it.”

One social media user who played an early part in sharing the clip told the BBC that he regretted it, saying “I made a big mistake.”

During BBC Radio 4’s “Why Do You Hate Me?” podcast, Khan said that the audio could have sparked “serious disorder,” and that the voice did resemble his own.

The audio-clip was widely circulated among far-right groups, prompting a surge in hateful remarks towards the Muslim mayor on social media platforms.

“The timing couldn’t have been better if you’re seeking to sow disharmony and cause problems,” Khan said.

He added: “What was being said was a red rag to a bull for the far right and others. But what concerned me the most was if you’re an innocent listener of this.

“Because it’s a secret undercover recording, in inverted commas, because it sounds like me, because of the timing and the context.”

Concerns have been raised before about the potential danger that AI-generated misinformation poses to democracies.