London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, on Wednesday, February 14, expressed concern that fake audio recordings, of him criticizing Remembrance weekend and endorsing pro-Palestinian marches, almost led to significant unrest.

The fake content, known as deepfakes, had a simulated voice of Khan urging the rescheduling of Remembrance weekend events for a pro-Palestinian march.

Khan criticized existing legislation as inadequate, claiming the creator “got away with it” after the Metropolitan Police found no criminal offense.

The Labour mayor added that other scenarios such as close elections and referendums might also be targeted by people spreading fake or manipulated material.

Khan said, “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.”

Shortly after observing the two-minute silence on Saturday, November 11, the pro-Palestinian march commenced. However, it faced resistance from counter-protesters, resulting in clashes with law enforcement.

About 120 individuals, mostly from the far-right counter-protesters group, were arrested. The commemorations had already stirred political tensions.

Suella Braverman, who was the home secretary at the time, criticized the Metropolitan Police for “playing favorites” following comments by its commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.

Rowley stated that the force lacked adequate intelligence to prohibit the rally.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had considered pro-Palestinian marches elsewhere in London “disrespectful”.

Mr Khan said neither he nor the police had been contacted by the social media sites on which the audio had gone viral.

Meta revealed on February 6 that it would tag images generated by AI on Facebook and Instagram.

However, TikTok said it removes deepfake content and “does not allow synthetic media that contains the likeness of any real private figure.”

Sir Nick Clegg, the current President of Global Affairs for Meta and former Deputy Prime Minister, clarified that this labeling would not extend to audio or video content.

Users may choose to disclose AI assistance voluntarily in those cases.

A spokesperson from the Met Police stated, “On Friday, November 10, we were made aware of a video featuring artificial audio of the mayor. Specialist officers carried out an initial review of this video and assessed that it did not constitute a criminal offence.”

“However, officers continue to review material and content related to this and we are also consulting with colleagues from the CPS given this relates to very new and emerging technologies.”
Met Police spokesperson

Solving The Deepfake Issue

The UK has been addressing the issue of deepfakes, which are manipulated videos or images created using artificial intelligence to depict someone saying or doing something they never actually did.

While there is no specific comprehensive legislation solely dedicated to deepfakes, there have been notable developments.

First, is the Clear Labelling Law which aims to mandate the labeling of all AI-generated photos and videos.

This means that any visual content created through AI algorithms would be required to be clearly labeled.

The goal is to enhance transparency and accountability in the AI industry, especially as AI technology becomes more pervasive in our daily lives

To further tackle the risks associated with AI and deepfakes, The UK created the Office for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Office for Artificial Intelligence is a unit within the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology in the United Kingdom.

Its primary responsibility is to oversee the implementation of the National AI Strategy.

As part of its mission, the Office for AI collaborates with various stakeholders to promote the growth of AI in the UK, encourage its adoption in businesses and society, and address ethical issues related to AI.