Is an online video a real campaign ad using Kamala Harris' voice? No, that's not true: The audio used in the deepfake video is AI-generated, and the video's creator labeled it as a parody from the very start when he posted it on his social media account in July 2024. Despite being clearly labeled as a parody, many, including X owner Elon Musk, shared the video without noting its satirical nature.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) published on X, formerly Twitter, by conservative commentator Mr Reagan on July 26, 2024. The caption for the video said:
Kamala Harris Campaign Ad PARODY
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Mon July 29 14:39:07 2024 UTC)
The social media post provided no evidence to support the notion that it was a real campaign ad by Harris. Instead, the original post stated the opposite, informing viewers upfront that it was a parody.
In part, the nearly two-minute fake ad said:
I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I'm both a woman and a person of color, so if you criticize anything I say, you're both sexist and racist.
Mr Reagan explained the intentions behind the fake Harris campaign ad in a video posted to his YouTube account on July 29, 2024, under the title "Elon Musk Tweeted My Video and It Went NUCLEAR!" At 3:39 into the clip, he said:
Do I care about how successful my videos are? Kind of, but what I really want is to drive the left nuts. And I've said for ages, like, the best way to fight the left is through comedy, is through entertainment. And, I guess, at this point, I put my money where my mouth is and I've actually done it, which is fantastic.
Elon Musk
While many shared Mr Reagan's video, its biggest boost came from Musk, whose retweet (archived here) had generated more than 130 million views as of July 29, 2024. The post's caption, "This is amazing 😂," shed no light on its satirical intent.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Mon July 29 17:58:12 2024 UTC)
Audio
DeepFake-o-meter
The audio of Harris' voice in the deepfake parody video was AI-generated. Lead Stories ran it through an online tool called the DeepFake-o-meter, hosted by The University of Buffalo's Media Forensic Lab, which focuses on "the forensic analysis of digital media." The following screenshot shows the results after the clip was run through five separate audio detectors connected to the site. All the tools found the video was likely AI-generated:
(Source: DeepFake-o-meter website screenshot taken on Mon Jul 29 18:21:52 2024 UTC)
Resemble AI
Another AI audio detection tool, called Resemble AI (archived here), also said the voice was "Fake":
(Source: Resemble AI website screenshot taken on Mon Jul 10 18:30:00 2024 UTC)
Read more
Lead Stories fact checks about Kamala Harris can be found here.
Other Lead Stories fact checks of claims involving Elon Musk can be found here.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims related to deepfakes can be found here.
