Deepfakes a 'slippery slope' for democracy, says mayor

Sadiq Khan says new approaches are needed to respond to the growth of AI

Sadiq Khan has warned of a "slippery slope" for democracy if deepfake content and artificial intelligence (AI) are not properly regulated.

A faked audio clip purporting to capture the mayor calling for Armistice Day to be re-scheduled due to a pro-Palestinian march circulated on social media last week.

The Met Police said specialist officers reviewed the fake audio and found that the matter did not "constitute a criminal offence".

The mayor was asked about the fake clip at mayor's question time by Tory assembly member Tony Devenish.

Mr Khan said it was clear that the intent had been "to sow seeds of hatred and division".

Mr Devenish said he was surprised the audio clip was not considered a criminal matter, and that the London Assembly should write a cross-party letter to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley about it.

"I think either the Met need to get better lawyers, or we need a change in law," said Mr Devenish.

"I'm not sure which it is, but we need to make sure that we, unanimously round this table, do take this up, because we can't have this kind of outrage."

Lord Bailey - Mr Khan's Conservative opponent in the 2021 mayoral election - asked the mayor: "Do you think that we need legislative change? Because I was quite stunned when the Met came back and said it's not an illegal offence, considering the very high level of harm this could lead to."

Mr Khan said he did not want to talk specifically about his own case, but that he had had conversations about it with the security minister Tom Tugendhat.

Lord Bailey said he was "stunned" the Sadiq Khan deepfake was not illegal

The mayor said London and the wider UK was well-placed to influence developments in AI.