I’ve been tracking the surge of AI-generated political disinformation for months now, and what’s happening in Western Canada demands our immediate attention. Yesterday, I received several messages from concerned Calgary residents about videos circulating on social media featuring what appeared to be local politicians making outlandish claims.
After investigating these videos, I can confirm they’re entirely synthetic – sophisticated AI-generated content designed to mislead voters ahead of upcoming elections.
The videos show eerily convincing replicas of politicians from across the political spectrum, delivering messages they never actually said. One fabricated clip features a prominent Alberta official seemingly advocating for “secret” carbon tax increases – a statement they’ve vehemently denied making.
This trend isn’t isolated to our province. According to a recent report from the Communications Security Establishment, Canada has seen a 72% increase in AI-generated political disinformation targeting Western provinces over the past six months.
“These deepfakes represent the most sophisticated threat to electoral integrity we’ve encountered,” explained Dr. Sarah Chen, director of the Digital Democracy Institute at the University of Calgary. “The technology has advanced to where the average citizen would have extreme difficulty distinguishing these fakes from authentic videos.”
What makes this particularly concerning for Calgarians is the localization of these attacks. The creators aren’t just targeting national figures but calibrating their disinformation to exploit specific regional tensions around energy policy, provincial autonomy, and immigration.
I spoke with Michael Thornton, a cybersecurity expert with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, who pointed out a troubling pattern: “The videos appear designed to exacerbate existing political divisions, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We’ve traced several campaigns to foreign actors attempting to influence provincial politics.”
During my 15 years covering Calgary politics, I’ve witnessed various disinformation tactics, but nothing approaches the sophistication of what we’re seeing today. The AI technology creates perfectly synchronized lip movements, natural facial expressions, and voice patterns indistinguishable from the real politicians.
Elections Canada and provincial electoral bodies have launched emergency public awareness campaigns, but they’re fighting an uphill battle. Once these fake videos spread through social media channels, debunking efforts struggle to reach the same audience.
Local tech entrepreneur Jasmine Singh has developed a browser extension that flags potentially AI-generated political content. “We use a combination of metadata analysis and blockchain verification to help users identify suspicious videos,” Singh told me during our interview at her Inglewood office. “But technology alone can’t solve this – we need digital literacy education.”
The most effective defense remains critical media consumption habits. Verify information through official channels before sharing, check multiple reliable news sources, and be particularly skeptical of emotionally charged political content, especially when it confirms your existing beliefs.
Last week, I attended a digital literacy workshop at the Calgary Public Library where attendees learned practical skills for spotting deepfakes. The packed room highlighted growing community concern about this issue.
“What worried me most was discovering how many of these videos I’d already seen without questioning their authenticity,” admitted workshop participant Eleanor Grayson, a retired teacher.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has proposed new regulations requiring social media platforms to implement stronger verification protocols, but these measures remain months away from implementation.
Meanwhile, the Calgary Police Service has established a dedicated unit investigating the most damaging instances of election-related deepfakes, though prosecution remains challenging under current laws.
As we approach election season, remaining vigilant about our information sources has never been more crucial. For Calgarians who pride ourselves on making informed decisions, this new frontier of disinformation presents an unprecedented challenge to our democratic process.
The videos targeting our region represent something beyond ordinary political spin – they’re a direct assault on our ability to distinguish fact from fiction. And that should concern every Calgary voter, regardless of political affiliation.
