Deepfakes, AI and the Battle for Democracy

Dr. Hany Farid Featured in Documentary About the Deepfake Attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan

The short documentary ‘The Fake Mayor’ directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Karim Amer is a timely exploration of how AI-fueled deception and deepfakes can be weaponized to manipulate public perception and disrupt society. The film uses the deepfake audio attack on Sadiq Khan during the 2024 London mayoral election as a central example of the potentially destabilizing effects of generative AI disinformation. 

As the foremost expert on deepfakes and manipulated media, GetReal Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Hany Farid is featured throughout the documentary, sharing his perspective on rising deepfake attacks and how increased access to generative AI tools has lowered the barrier of entry to creating manipulated content.

“When you lower that barrier to entry, your threat vector just went through the roof,” Dr. Farid explains in the documentary. “Is disinformation new? No. Is manipulating the photographic record new? No. But what is new is who can do it."

About the deepfake attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan

AI-generated audio purported to be Mayor Sadiq Khan quickly spread online in November 2023. The clip impersonated Khan’s voice to sound like he called for postponing Remembrance Day, a UK observance of the end of World War One, in favor of pro-Palestinian marches on the same day. 

Following the incident, Dr. Farid analyzed the audio using two separate techniques to distinguish real voices from AI-generated audio. Both confidently flagged the audio as fake. 

The spread of the deepfake audio resulted not only in Khan receiving backlash and hateful comments for words he did not say, but more than 1,000 counterprotestors angered by the clip clashing with London police on November 11, 2023.

The alarming rise of deepfake voice impersonation attacks 

During the documentary, Dr. Farid demonstrated how easily someone can take legitimate audio of a person from an online source, use generative AI and create a deepfake of that person saying anything. As these tools become more accessible and advanced, public figures, corporate leaders, and even everyday individuals face a growing risk of impersonation and reputational harm.

The implications are clear: we are entering an era where seeing—and hearing—is no longer believing.

With the threat of AI-driven disinformation escalating, GetReal is addressing the problem head-on. Our automated forensic analysis platform provides the infrastructure to accommodate all modalities (image, audio, and video) for files and real-time digital communication streams, helping to manage risk and mitigate threats from the growing presence of AI-fueled attacks. 

Watch the full film here.