I regret to report that TikTok has been overtaken by artificial intelligence generated voiceovers of political figures poisoning each other while playing. Hearing a Joe Biden-like voice enthusiastically talking about gaming Minecraft is hilarious in the extreme – mostly because it’s absurd to imagine the real president saying any of this – but it also shows how disturbingly easy it is to make political deepfakes now.
It’s all part of a new TikTok and Twitter trend. Users with access to AI tools use them to emulate the voices of public figures like Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump and have them narrate gameplay videos Minecraft, surveillance 2, Final Fantasy 14, and more. The videos are devilishly funny as there is something ridiculous about hearing President Joe Biden with Trump about their relative ability to tank and heal. But these TikToks are also a reminder of how AI is currently being used to blur the line between reality and fiction.
The general format is consistent across these TikToks. The videos use generative AI to make it sound like a bunch of presidents, present and past, went on discord together to play a game. Other videos feature AI-generated voice lines from conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro and podcaster Joe Rogan. Many of the videos simply show the groups playing games and then getting into fights while sorting out the logistics of fighting as a team or exploring together.
In an entry in a popular TikTok series, the AI-generated version of Trump grief President Biden by destroying his Minecraft A house. In a sequel, the AI-generated version of Biden retaliates by blowing up Trump’s in-game house with hundreds of boxes of dynamite. The AI voices sound convincing. In the video below, the Biden-like voice starts out with a stately tone until the tone develops. At the time of publication, this video had around 3.9 million views.
“In today’s video I’m going to try and get a little revenge by mourning Trump’s house. I went into creative mode and gave myself some TNT to blow up Trump’s house. Obama and Ben [Shapiro] help too,” says the AI-generated Biden voice. Then the video shows the character lining hallways with dozens and dozens of blocks of TNT.
The online caricatures of these public figures often run parallel or relate to real events. President Biden, the oldest person to assume the presidency, is often portrayed as having trouble playing the games. Several users have made videos of the Trump-esque voiceover calling President Biden “Sleepy Joe.” a name Trump actually used to describe the President.
The whole concept is very goofy — it’s hard to imagine Biden aligning himself with Ben Shapiro, a conservative pundit who regularly criticizes Democratic leaders. Much of the comedy comes from buttoned-up officers spewing jokes and insults fit for middle school hallways.
