In the Okinawa prefecture gubernatorial election, which was counted on the 13th, false and misinformation has been posted one after another on social media. A video of a person created using generative AI (artificial intelligence) in which a person resembling a candidate is run over by heavy machinery, as well as information that stokes anxiety and anger without knowing the basis, is being spread, and experts are concerned that ``if things continue like this, voters' judgment will be distorted.''
On the 6th, a 6-second video was posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the comment, ``Okinawa Prefecture has the most disrespect for its citizens in Japan.''
In the video, people holding placards reading "We♡Denny" cheer, and the next moment a man wearing a blue patterned shirt, who looks a lot like incumbent Denny Tamashiro, is pushed to the ground and run over by heavy equipment, such as a road roller.
On the side of the video, it says that it was created using the generation AI function "Grok Imagine". As of the evening of the 10th, it had been viewed more than 490,000 times.
This video was criticized one after another, saying that it ``crossed a line that should not be crossed.'' Several users who support other candidates also called for the post to be removed, with comments such as ``No matter what, this is not possible.''
X prohibits content that targets specific individuals and is harassing or insulting. However, the video has not been deleted as of the 10th. On the 8th, the person who posted the video continued to post, naming Tamaki by name and saying things like, ``I just want to wipe him out.''
"Would you mind if everything about you was taken away?"
There are also videos that try to stir up anxiety with unfounded information.
In a video posted on the 6th, he repeats phrases such as, ``China is trying to take over Okinawa,'' ``Are you okay with everything about you being taken away by the Chinese Communist Party?'' and ``You will become tomorrow's Uyghurs,'' before calling on people to ``If you don't like it, let's go vote.'' There is also an indication that this was made with AI.
The candidate's name does not appear in the video. However, many posts cite the video and link it to Tamaki, saying, ``If he is re-elected, Okinawa will become China.''
On the other hand, in late August, an image of newcomer Genta Koja with a photo of himself resembling himself and the words ``Building an Okinawa that serves the national interest'' was circulated, leading to criticism that ``the national interest is more important than the interests of the prefectural residents.''
At first glance, it looks like an election poster, but when the Asahi Shimbun investigated it using a feature called ``SynthID,'' which can identify whether it was created using U.S. OpenAI tools such as the generation AI ``ChatGPT,'' it was determined that ``this content was generated using OpenAI tools.''
A source close to Gu Xie's camp denied, saying, ``We have never used a phrase like the one in the image.'' Later, a supporter of Mr. Koja came forward as having created the image and apologized with an X, saying, ``I thought this person was good not only for Okinawa but for Japan.'' Although the post containing the image has been deleted, the image continues to be used to criticize Gu Xie.
Camp: “It will be a problem if it gets too heated”
There are six candidates running in the gubernatorial election, and according to a survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on the 5th and 6th, it is effectively a one-on-one race with Kojae leading slightly and Tamaki hotly following.
Regarding the current state of social media, a senior official from Mr. Tamaki's campaign said, ``I'm concerned that there will be a significant number of people who believe in clever rumors and vote,'' and a senior official from Mr. Furusa's campaign said, ``We're very grateful that you recognize the issues facing Okinawa, but we'd be in trouble if things got too heated.''
