The accusations against Hancock were first reported by the Minnesota Reformer. Minnesota is one of 20 states that have passed laws regulating the use of deepfakes in political campaigns. The lawsuit challenging the law was filed by a conservative law firm on behalf of Minnesota state Representative Mary Franson and YouTuber Christopher Kohls, also known as Mr Reagan. A similar lawsuit by Kohls against California's election deepfake law resulted in a preliminary injunction preventing the law from being enforced.
Key takeaways:
- Jeff Hancock, a Stanford University professor and founding director of Stanford’s Social Media Lab, has been accused of spreading AI-generated misinformation while serving as an expert witness in a lawsuit challenging a law against the use of deepfakes in elections.
- Hancock's expert opinion included a reference to a non-existent study, which the plaintiffs suggest was generated by an AI 'hallucination'.
- The lawsuit was filed by Minnesota state Representative Mary Franson and YouTuber Christopher Kohls, who claim the state's law against the use of deepfakes in elections violates their First Amendment right to free speech.
- Minnesota is one of 20 states to have passed laws regulating the use of deepfakes in political campaigns, prohibiting the dissemination of a deepfake up to 90 days before an election if it is made without the consent of the person depicted and is intended to influence the results of the election.