Georgia politicians sounding the alarm over digital manipulation from AI deepfakes

Artificial intelligence is rapidly rewriting the rules of deception across Georgia, leaving voters, consumers, and public figures vulnerable to increasingly convincing digital manipulation.

From local retail scams to high-profile political smear campaigns, the technology is blurring the line between fact and fiction. In Savannah, police recently arrested a man accused of using AI to falsify a Walmart delivery order. Meanwhile, in metro Atlanta, elected officials are speaking out after finding themselves directly targeted by malicious deepfakes.

College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom recently addressed a manipulated image circulating online that falsely depicted her kissing a man who is not her husband, pointing out side-by-side evidence of the authentic encounter to set the record straight.

"Deepfakes are being used against women in leadership in particular, and they mislead the voters who see them," Broom said. "I support the First Amendment, especially including the right of citizens to speak up about their government. That happens in many ways, including parody, protest, and criticism. A fabricated image presented as real is not speech about a person, though. It is a lie about them, and our laws should give people a way to hold its creators accountable."

Last week, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock issued his own warning about deceptive generative imagery after fabrications surfaced online claiming he had collapsed on stage and another alleging he was in recovery from cancer.

Georgia State University Professor Arun Rai, the director of the school's Center for Digital Innovation, warns that deepfakes present serious threats. Officials say that deepfakes can be used to sway elections, ruin reputations, and scam consumers out of hard-earned money.

"The Federal Trade Commission said that in 2025 they had over 1 million impersonation scams. They were not all deepfake impersonation," Rai said. "They've also estimated upwards of $3.5 billion in losses that have been attributed or associated with deepfakes."

On campus, Georgia State University students say that while lighthearted creations like dancing animals are harmless entertainment, weaponized misinformation is a growing concern.

"They need to limit the uses of what AI can be used for," said GSU senior Nas'sir Goodman, urging stricter boundaries on generative tools. "They need to regulate what people can ask for and what they can get back. People should not be able to have access to technology that could do stuff like that."

GSU freshman Jay Patel echoed those worries, noting how pervasive political fabrications have become on social feeds.

"You can't just keep making videos like this and like set them up. It's spreading false information and stuff like that," Patel said. "It's always something political. There's been multiple times before, you know, I have to go through the comments of anything and find that one comment that says 'It's AI, so don't worry about it.'"

To help the public combat digital deception, Rai recommends a clear three-step approach: pause, verify, and report.

"I think the most effective thing is pause, look at the content, and verify it from outside of the content, and that's the really important thing," he said.

Rai says to then report it through the appropriate channels, including consumer protection agencies or the Georgia Board of Elections. He says the final step is to not share or engage with the content until you have verified it through credible sources.

State lawmakers are also beginning to step in with some legal guardrails. Two key measures, Georgia Senate Bill 444 and Senate Bill 540, are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. One bill establishes safeguards surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare decisions, while the other mandates transparency by requiring automated services to disclose when users are interacting with an AI chatbot rather than a human being.