I regret to inform you that TikTok has been overtaken with artificial-intelligence-generated voiceovers of political figures being toxic to each other while gaming. Hearing a Joe Biden-like voice enthusiastically talk about playing Minecraft is extremely funny — mostly because it’s absurd to think of the real president saying any of it — but also shows off how disturbingly easy it is to make political deepfakes now.
It’s all part of a new TikTok and Twitter trend. Users with access to AI tools are using them to emulate the voices of public figures like Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and having them narrate gameplay videos for Minecraft, Overwatch 2, Final Fantasy 14, and more. The videos are devilishly funny, as there’s something ridiculous about hearing President Joe Biden bicker with Trump about their relative ability to tank and heal. But these TikToks also are a reminder of the way AI is currently being used to blur the line between reality and fiction.
The general format is consistent across these TikToks. The videos use generative AI to make it sound like a bunch of presidents, present and past, got on Discord together to play a game. Other videos feature AI-generated voice lines from conservative talk-show host Ben Shapiro and podcaster Joe Rogan. Many of the videos simply show the groups playing games, and then getting into fights as they sort through the logistics of fighting as a team or exploring together.
In one entry in a popular TikTok series, the AI-generated version of Trump griefs President Biden by destroying his Minecraft house. In a sequel, the AI-generated version of Biden gets back at him by blowing up Trump’s in-game house with hundreds of boxes of dynamite. The AI voices sound
Read more on polygon.com