AM host Laura Tupou criticises National for creating fake Māori, Pasifika people with artificial intelligence for attack ads

  • 24/05/2023

AM host Laura Tupou is criticising National for creating fake Māori and Pasifika people with artificial intelligence (AI) to use in political attack ads. 

On Tuesday Newshub revealed National used several AI-generated images on social media which included AI-generated health workers and criminals.

National leader Christopher Luxon said it was "fantastic" innovation and technology was being embraced by his party. 

"It's awesome that you're talking about it on mainstream TV," Luxon told AM host Ryan Bridge.

"Here's what happens: you either go out and buy a standard, stock image… of an actor playing a fake nurse or a doctor or whatever it is, or you can create it now through AI and I don't think there's any difference in both of those approaches."

He said National is simply using technology in a different way.

But not everyone is happy with National for their use of AI, with Tupou saying she has a problem with it. 

"If you have features that are distinctively Pacific or Māori, I don't know, I've got a problem with that and like tattoos and you're creating a life for this person that isn't real," Tupou told the show on Wednesday. 

But Ryan Bridge said while he understood what she was saying, AI does that to everyone. 

"If you're Asian or Indian or maybe gay. I mean, they'll probably put me in some rainbow top," he said.

Tupou added if people are using AI to create videos, it opens them up to more criticism.

"If they are actually getting actors in to create an ad, they would have very specific looks, everything would be thought out," she said. 

"When they're creating this image, they would be creating it perfectly to exactly for what they want, so there's more room for criticism."

Watch the full video above.