Presidential candidates' computer-generated avatars heat up debate

An artificial intelligence-generated image of main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol speaks in a video clip which was played during the inauguration ceremony of Yoon's election camp, Monday. Captured from People Power Party YouTube channel

By Nam Hyun-woo

Korea's presidential candidates are capitalizing on digital technologies to win more support by having virtual characters powered by artificial intelligence (AI) substitute for themselves in election campaigns.

The attempts, however, are sparking debate over the political ethics of the practice due to the potential deceptiveness of AI-created characters showcasing prepared audiovisual content only, as well as concerns over "deepfakes," video clips using fabricated images which are extremely difficult to identify as real or fake.

On Dec. 6, main opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol introduced "AI Yoon Suk-yeol" during the inauguration ceremony of his election camp.

Appearing in a video clip played during the ceremony, Yoon's avatar said, "Are you surprised because I look the same as candidate Yoon?"

People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during the inauguration ceremony of his election camp in Songpa District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

"AI Yoon Suk-yeol is the beginning of innovation in election, and I will visit every corner of the country," the artificial character continued. A facsimile of Yoon, his AI version impersonated the candidate's voice, accent and even words of choices based on deep learning, which is a branch of AI technology.

The PPP said it plans to use the technology for campaign areas where Yoon cannot attend in person by showing clips on screens set up on vehicles.

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Windy, an avatar of presidential hopeful Kim Dong-yeon of the New Wave Party, introduces itself on a tablet screen during a press conference at the National Assembly, Tuesday. The party also introduced a virtual spokesperson which was developed using artificial intelligence. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun

On Tuesday, former deputy prime minister and independent presidential candidate Kim Dong-yeon also introduced AI-powered cyber spokesperson, named AiDY. He also showcased his own avatar, WinDY.

AiDY resembled a polygon character that could be seen in video game or metaverse platforms, but WinDY is a realistic rendering of Kim.

"AI spokesperson AiDY is an attempt to profoundly reduce the cost of election campaigning," Kim said. "An AI spokesperson may not be satisfying for now, but it will make progress down the road, replacing conventional election campaigns which consume tax payers' money."

Though the avatars have now made flashy debuts in Korean politics, their roles are anticipated to be limited ― reading prepared scripts or showing simple gestures ― because the characters are yet to learn candidates' language characteristics to a deep level. Kim's AI spokesperson is also expected to function as a chatbot, rather than playing a creative role in proposing a political agenda and disseminating the candidate's messages independently.

As presidential candidates are depending on technologies which are still new in the world of politics, questions are arising over the ethics of AI-powered campaigns.

"We should think about the political ethics," Ko Sam-seog, a chair professor at Dongguk University and former Korea Communications Commission member, wrote on his Facebook page.

"Even if a small company hires an employee, it requires the job seeker to appear at an interview to see how he or she speaks and writes. A person who seeks to be the country's president asks voters to elect them through an avatar is something close to a fake."

Ko, who served at the presidential office for three liberal presidents ― Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in ― also claimed that AI Yoon Suk-yeol is the PPP's attempt to "disguise Yoon's personal habits such as rude sitting posture or excessive use of filler while speaking." Yoon has been criticized for such habits, and his AI character did not reflect those traits.

Concerns over fake news exploiting deepfake are also being raised. In 2018, a video clip in which former U.S. President Barack Obama cursing then-President Donald Trump went viral, was revealed to be an educational video created to alert the public to the risks of synthetic media. Following subsequent debates, Facebook and Twitter in January published new guidelines banning deepfake clips.

Since deepfake technology can be used to create whatever scene the maker desires, experts said it is difficult to rule out the chance that fake clips in which either Yoon or Kim promising nonsense policies will appear. This would eventually lower the public's trust on other forms of media which present candidates in their true form.

Against this backdrop, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung pledged to strengthen laws to punish those who make or are in possession of malicious deepfake clips, with the DPK criticizing Yoon's AI campaigning saying, "Yoon should stop hiding behind his avatar."

While debates are heating up on AI campaigning, the National Election Commission (NEC) is yet to determine whether it is legitimate or not. "It is difficult to make a finding on whether it is against the laws governing campaigning or not because it is uncertain how the technologies will be used in the campaign," an NEC official said.