Following the use of manipulated videos in political communication, where among others Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been imitated, the leadership of the Danish Parliament has now initiated a voluntary agreement on the use of such video clips. These clips, often created with artificial intelligence, can manipulate sound and image to imitate individuals, a technique known as deepfakes. The Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade (Venstre), expressed a desire in a press release on Tuesday to establish a code of conduct among the Parliament’s parties for responsible use of artificial intelligence in political communication. “At the Castle, we may disagree on much, but we agree that together we have a responsibility to protect our democracy and the trust in it,” he said, adding that the solution may not necessarily lie in more legislation and regulation.
The initiative comes after incidents where parties such as Liberal Alliance and Danish People’s Party have used manipulated videos, including a controversial video from Danish People’s Party, where the Prime Minister is falsely depicted as wanting to abolish more Christian holidays. The video, marked as created with artificial intelligence, has sparked a significant debate and was described by Mette Frederiksen as “crossing the line” and an “unfortunate slippery slope”. Back in 2019, the parties in the Parliament entered into an agreement not to spread fake news. With this new challenge, the leadership hopes to expand this agreement to also include manipulated videos. “Therefore, we will invite all parties to a collective discussion on how we can responsibly use artificial intelligence,” explained Søren Gade. A meeting is planned where the Parliament’s parties, along with experts in the field, will discuss future guidelines.
The leader of Danish People’s Party, Morten Messerschmidt, has defended the use of the mentioned video as satire, stating that it is a way to demonstrate how new technologies can be used in an entertaining and satirical manner. This case raises important questions about the boundaries of political communication in an era where technological manipulation is becoming increasingly advanced and accessible.