Blue Youth AI Forges Lai Ching-te's Voice, Sparks Controversy; Critic Slams KMT: 'Protecting the Illegal for Anti-Green'

A controversy has erupted in Taiwan after a former director of the Kuomintang's (KMT) youth department, Wei Chun-yu, allegedly used AI to synthesize President Lai Ching-te's voice for a video. Police reportedly visited Wei's residence, requesting the video's removal. However, prominent figures within the KMT and allied parties have rallied to Wei's defense, criticizing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for allegedly suppressing freedom of speech.

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Freedom of speech does not include the right to fabricate.

Zhang Yumeng, chairman of the Taiwan Youth Generation Association for Common Prosperity, strongly criticized the KMT's stance. He asserted that freedom of speech does not grant the right to create fabricated content. Zhang accused the KMT of mobilizing its entire party to defend illegal actions and support deception, particularly in their opposition to the DPP.

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Freedom of speech is so free in Taiwan that you can scold the president three meals a day.

Zhang explained that the police intervention was prompted by a complaint regarding the video titled "You Can't Afford Oil." The complaint alleged that the AI-synthesized voice in the video, attributed to Lai Ching-te, conveyed messages that the president had never actually spoken, potentially misleading the public. Zhang emphasized that while Taiwan upholds freedom of speech, this freedom does not extend to deepfaking someone's voice.

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You have freedom of speech in Taiwan, but it does not include the freedom to deepfake someone else's voice.

Citing a Supreme Court ruling, Zhang pointed out that voiceprints are considered personal data and cannot be used without consent, making the alteration of someone's voice a legal violation. He drew a parallel to fraud cases, suggesting that if a scammer could claim they didn't steal a voice, it would lead to a society where fraud goes unpunished. Zhang expressed dismay at the KMT's strong defense of what he considers an illegal act.

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According to the logic of the KMT, if those scammers who use the voices of Guo Taiming and Morris Chang to fake stock tips to cheat you out of investments, deny that the voice was stolen when caught, they would all be acquitted. If this logic holds, Taiwan is ready to welcome a society where fraud is not punished.