'Disgraceful' deep-fake AI video condemned by presidential candidate

Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission over a "malicious deep-fake" AI video.

The video appeared online on Tuesday night and showed an AI version of Connolly appearing to announce her withdrawal from Friday's election.

Connolly called the video a "disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy".

In a statement, the independent TD (member of the Irish parliament) said she was "absolutely" still a candidate to become the 10th president of Ireland.

The video appeared online on Tuesday night and mimicked an RTÉ news report

"It is a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy", she said.

"I will not be distracted. I will continue my campaign in every county, meeting people and making the case for a hopeful, inclusive presidency."

She added: "If you see this video, do not share it - report it, the surest reply to lies is to vote."

Connolly's campaign team said they have reported the video to the social media platforms it appeared on.

They have requested it be removed immediately and clearly listed as fake.

'Miniscule clues' give away video's AI origins

Alan Smeaton, emeritus professor of computing at Dublin City University and a member of the Irish government's AI Advisory Council, told BBC Verify there were some "minuscule clues" that gave the video away.

"There are slight over-pronunciations in the lips and mouths by both the Catherine Connolly and the RTÉ reporter representations.

"There is a slight aura around the news reporter in the third shot, probably because the background is dynamic," he added.

"The final sentence of the clip, that the election is cancelled and Heather Humphries wins by default, should raise a red flag for most people given the vast majority know Jim Gavin withdrew from canvassing a couple of weeks ago but his name will still be on the ballot paper."

He said, "social media platforms have a lot to answer for".

"The whack-a-mole approach of taking such videos down after an hour, a day, a week or whatever time, is not working."

Who is Catherine Connolly?

Connolly has been an independent TD for the Galway West constituency since 2016.

She previously served as deputy speaker in the Dáil (Irish parliament) in Dublin.

A former member of the Irish Labour Party, she quit after not being allowed to run alongside Michael D Higgins in the 2007 general election.

Connolly has been backed in her Irish presidential bid by several left-leaning parties and a number of independents.