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AI Deepfake Voice Controversy: Media Personality Slams Legislator Huang Kuo-chang

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Media personality Zhan Lingyu criticized legislator Huang Kuo-chang for defending the use of AI-generated deepfakes of President Lai Ching-te's voice.
  • Huang Kuo-chang accused the ruling party of "intimidating all Taiwanese people" over the investigation into the AI voice synthesis.
  • Zhan argued that Huang, a former law professor, is misrepresenting a legal issue of forgery as political persecution.

Media personality Zhan Lingyu has sharply criticized legislator Huang Kuo-chang for his defense of using AI to synthesize President Lai Ching-te's voice, accusing him of deliberately ignoring legal boundaries.

Huang Kuo-chang, chairman of the Taiwan People's Party, had previously criticized the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), stating they were "intimidating all Taiwanese people" in response to police investigating the use of AI deepfake technology. The investigation concerns a video produced by the team behind the "Principal Lair" short film, which allegedly used AI to synthesize President Lai's voice for an anti-drug campaign.

Whether the law is written as it is doesn't matter; accumulating hate points is most important.

— Zhan LingyuCriticizing Huang Kuo-chang's stance on AI-generated voice synthesis.

However, Zhan argued that Huang, a former professor of law at National Taiwan University, is intentionally framing a clear legal issue of forgery as political persecution. "Whether the law is written as it is doesn't matter; accumulating hate points is most important," Zhan commented on Huang's stance.

Is this line really that hard to understand?

— Zhan LingyuQuestioning the distinction between satire and voice forgery.

Zhan emphasized that while criticizing or satirizing President Lai through animation is protected under freedom of speech, fabricating his voice to make people believe he said things he didn't is a different matter. "Is this line really that hard to understand?" she questioned.

She further pointed out that basic criminal law principles, taught even in introductory university courses, establish forgery as a non-prosecutable offense, meaning police can investigate upon receiving a tip-off without the victim needing to file a complaint. Zhan believes Huang, with his legal background, cannot be unaware of this, suggesting his actions are deliberate. She accused him of deliberately mischaracterizing the legal investigation as "checking water meters" and packaging a legal problem as political persecution.

He is not ignorant; he is pretending to be asleep.

— Zhan LingyuAccusing Huang Kuo-chang of deliberately misunderstanding the legal implications of AI voice forgery.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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