Singapore will hold a General Election soon – and it will be the first time the country experiences it in an age where Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is so prevalent in society.
While governments embrace the great potential of AI, there’s also legitimate concerns over the manufacturing of deepfakes which use deep learning AI to replace the likeness of a person with another in video and other digital media.
This week former Singapore President Halimah Yacob revealed her likeness and voice were used in a deepfake video which alleged she made negative statements about the government. “This is scary how AI is being used to influence voters during this critical period,” Halimah said.
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And in the past, deepfakes of current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong have also been used by investment scammers.
Last year, Singapore passed a Bill to prohibit the publishing of digitally generated or manipulated content that realistically depicts a candidate saying or doing something that he or she did not. The new law will apply from the issuance of the Writ to the close of polling on Polling Day.
The Writ of Election was issued for GE2025 on 15 April with Polling Day set for 3 May.
So we want to know from you: Are you concerned about deepfakes during GE2025?
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Singapore to hold general election on 3 May
