Champaign Voices

Election Officials Beg Public to Ignore AI Deepfakes, Public Forwards Them Anyway

Published: June 05, 2026

Officials warned that synthetic audio and video could muddy campaigns this year, a threat that thrives because outrage is more shareable than verification. What do you think?

“If it's shocking, I send it. That's how family works.”

“I almost fell for one. Then I noticed the ears were wrong.”

“We need a rule: no videos of politicians saying things they wish they said.”