Politics of Deepfakes and Global Security
The rapid development of artificial intelligence is transforming international political communication.
Deepfakes, AI-generated or manipulated audio, video, and images, can make people appear to say or do things that never happened.
Although useful in entertainment, education, and communication, their political use threatens international security by undermining trust, manipulating public opinion, enabling political deception, and complicating crisis management.
Consequently, deepfakes are emerging as tools of geopolitical competition.
Deepfakes are politically significant not only because they produce convincing content but also because they can reshape perceptions of reality.
International politics depends on reliable information for threat assessment, public judgment, market responses, and diplomatic communication.
A fabricated statement by a political leader could falsely signal war, policy changes, or misconduct. Even when exposed, its impact may persist because misinformation often spreads faster than verification.
Deepfakes add a powerful dimension to information warfare. States and non-state actors can exploit synthetic media to influence elections, damage leaders’ reputations, polarize societies, and undermine trust in democratic institutions.
Unlike conventional propaganda, deepfakes can generate seemingly authentic evidence that supports desired narratives, making disinformation more persuasive and harder to counter.
Their purpose may be not only to spread falsehoods but also to create uncertainty about which information can be trusted.
Deepfakes pose serious risks to democratic security, particularly during elections, when legitimacy depends on citizens’ access to credible information.
A fabricated video released shortly before voting could sway voters before journalists, election authorities, or technology platforms verify it.
Foreign actors may exploit such content to deepen social divisions, while domestic political actors could target opponents.
Thus, technological sophistication risks becoming another instrument of political competition and manipulation.
Deepfakes also pose a significant challenge to military and strategic security. Modern military decision-making increasingly depends on real-time information from multiple sources.
Synthetic media could be used to impersonate military commanders, government officials, or diplomatic representatives.
A fabricated message ordering troops to move, claiming an attack has occurred, or announcing a ceasefire could create confusion during an already tense confrontation.
The danger is particularly acute when decision-makers have only limited time to assess whether information is authentic.
The problem is further complicated by the “liar’s dividend.” Once deepfakes are widely known, genuine recordings can be dismissed as fake.
Political leaders accused of misconduct may simply claim that authentic evidence has been artificially generated.
Consequently, deepfakes not only create false information but also weaken the credibility of truthful information.
This erosion of epistemic trust can undermine accountability, journalism, diplomacy, and democratic governance.
At the international level, deepfakes also complicate diplomatic relations and escalate crises. International crises often unfold amid uncertainty and incomplete information.
If states cannot confidently determine whether a threatening communication is genuine, miscalculation becomes more likely.
A fabricated statement attributed to a national leader could prompt diplomatic retaliation, military mobilization, or economic sanctions before verification is complete.
Thus, AI-enabled deception can heighten the risk that an information attack produces real-world geopolitical consequences.
Another important dimension is power asymmetry. Deepfake technology can enable relatively small states, political organizations, extremist networks, criminal groups, or individual actors to conduct sophisticated influence operations at relatively low cost.
Traditional military power is concentrated among states with substantial economic and technological resources. By contrast, information manipulation can spread widely.
This democratization of influence creates a more complex security environment in which attribution is difficult and conventional deterrence may be less effective.
Addressing these challenges requires international cooperation. States need common standards for identifying and authenticating synthetic media, while technology companies should strengthen provenance systems, watermarking, detection mechanisms, and transparency regarding AI-generated content.
Governments should improve digital literacy and public awareness without using misinformation regulation as a pretext for political censorship.
International organizations could also promote norms against the malicious use of synthetic media in elections, armed conflicts, and diplomatic crises.
However, technological solutions alone will not solve the problem. Deepfake politics is fundamentally a governance and trust issue.
Detection technologies will inevitably face an arms race as generation tools become more sophisticated.
The stronger long-term defense is therefore resilient institutions, independent journalism, credible electoral systems, transparent government communication, and citizens capable of critically evaluating competing claims.
For countries such as Bangladesh, the issue is increasingly relevant as social media becomes a major arena for political communication.
Deepfake-related risks could affect elections, communal relations, public trust, and national security.
Therefore, strengthening digital literacy, institutional verification mechanisms, cybersecurity capacity, and responsible media practices should be integrated into broader national security planning.
Deepfakes are more than a technological threat; they are instruments through which power, perception, and political legitimacy are contested.
Their greatest danger may be eroding public confidence in the possibility of knowing what is true.
International security in the AI era will therefore depend not only on military capabilities but also on safeguarding information integrity.
The politics of deepfakes is ultimately a politics of trust and a defining security challenge.
(The author: Former Additional Secretary to the Government. Currently, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Bangladesh Institute of Governance and
Management — Affiliated to the University of Dhaka)
