No, that wasn’t Angela Rayner dancing and rapping: you’ll need to understand AI slopaganda | Marcus Beard

Be aware that the qualms about using AI imagery and deepfakes in politics are breaking down. It will soon just be part of the political language we all use

This week, an AI-generated rap featuring Angela Rayner racked up millions of views and tens of thousands of reactions on Facebook. Wearing a gold chain, Adidas tracksuit and handling suspiciously blurry-looking banknotes, it is obvious to most viewers that it is the product of generative AI. The creators, the Crewkerne Gazette, who run satire pages on Facebook and YouTube, have made a series of parody songs – all AI-generated – featuring other notable figures such as Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage and King Charles. With attention from millions of social media users, and even the national press, they are now pushing to get the song to the top spot in the UK Top 40.

You can’t blame them. Low-effort, inflammatory, part-satire, part-commentary “AI slopaganda” has been flooding social media for months now. It has proved to be an effective way to get attention, money and political influence online.

Marcus Beard is a digital, disinformation and AI specialist, and was a Downing Street official heading No 10’s response to countering conspiracy theories