A television program heated up the mood for the Uruguayan elections, which take place on the 27th, after the favorite candidate for victory, Yamandú Orsi, was represented by an image of artificial intelligence (IA) during a “debate” with one of his opponents, Andrés Ojeda, a outsider right-wing.
The episode aired on Sunday 13th on Canal 4during the program Watchwordpresented as “the only investigative journalistic program on Uruguayan television”.
Ojeda, who is proud to be compared with the Argentine president Javier Mileywas the guest of honor at the attraction, and gave a long interview. In addition to talking about his government proposals, he commented on videos in which he appears training in boxing and exercising in a gym.
After an hour and a half of friendly conversation with the candidate – amidst merchandising of beers, wines and dog food, as well as musical performances – presenter Nacho Álvarez announced, with a smile on his face, Orsi’s “presence” – in fact, the entry of the image made by artificial intelligence.
“Many viewers asked about Yamandú Orsi’s presence at Santo y Seña, and I say it was possible. It seemed impossible, but welcome, Yamandú Orsi”, said Álvarez, in a mocking tone. “The idea is that, as it is here, it says some things.”
Orsi’s image is then shown in a closed camera, and a robotic voice says “thank you for the invitation”. It is possible to read the information on the screen that it is an image generated by AI. From there, the alleged debate begins.
In subsequent appearances, Orsi’s false representation “dubbed” the candidate’s original statements, which were displayed with footer captions. An unsuspecting voter could believe that he was actually there, despite the written warning about artificial intelligence.
Ojeda, the right-wing candidate, commented on his opponent’s statements, often raising the tone of his criticism. Topics such as public security were addressed, which gained space in this year’s Uruguayan election.
The “debate” can be seen in the video below (from 2h29 onwards):
After the artificial intelligence image was taken off the air, the presenter once again used an ironic tone when he said that he “was happy” for Orsi’s “presence”. “At least someone made him speak,” added candidate Ojeda.
The journalist then stated that the image representing the candidate merely dubbed his own lines. “These are statements from Orsi. Orsi’s clone was made 100% with artificial intelligence. We use technology from a pioneering company”, said Álvarez proudly.
The company mentioned in the program is LZG Digital, which on its official website claims to have created “the first digital clone in Uruguay”.
Orsi’s statements that were dubbed by false representation were later presented by the program in their original contexts.
Repercussion
Senator Alejandro Sánchez, coordinator of Orsi’s campaign, said that the episode worries Uruguayans in the final stretch of the campaign.
“We want to take this opportunity to warn the population to be very careful. When we live in a world where artificial intelligence can make a person say things they didn’t say, we need to be very careful,” he told Paysandú TV hours after the screening.
“Democracy is something very important, which cannot be dirty. We cannot allow dirty campaigns, and this could be a sample of a dirty campaign in Uruguay”, he added. “We are concerned and attentive.”
Given the repercussion of the case, presenter Nacho Álvarez returned to addressing the topic at different times during the week. In a radio program he participated in, he tried to minimize the situation and recalled that the dubbed statements were original.
Álvarez stated that Orsi’s campaign spoke with the program’s production team before its airing and was informed about the content that would be broadcast. According to him, no objection was raised at the time. The journalist also celebrated on social media the fact that the program was the most watched in the country over the weekend.
The election
Uruguayan voters will go to the polls on the 27th to elect the successor of Luis Lacalle Forcurrent president, of the National Party (right-wing), which launched former senator Álvaro Delgado as a candidate (in the Uruguay direct re-election is not permitted).
Political heir to the group of Jose MujicaYamandú Orsi emerges as favorite. The Broad Front (left-wing) candidate could even win in the first round, according to surveys by Uruguayan research companies such as Nómade and Proyección.
Andrés Ojeda, from the traditional Colorado Party (right), is in third place in the main surveys, behind Orsi and Delgado, who appears in second.
If none of the candidates reaches 50% of the votes plus one, there will be a second round on November 24th.
