Taiwan minister backs legal probe into AI deepfake mimicking president's voice

Taiwan's Interior Minister Liu Shih-fang has declared full support for legal action against any individual or political party found to be violating the law through the use of deepfake technology. Her remarks followed an incident where a former youth director of the Kuomintang party created a video mimicking President Lai Ching-te's voice using artificial intelligence.

Liu stated at the Legislative Yuan that Taiwan is a democratic and lawful nation that guarantees freedom of speech. However, she stressed that fabricating another person's voice is something "the entire Taiwanese people cannot accept." She confirmed that the Criminal Investigation Bureau has already reported the case to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for investigation under relevant articles of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

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Regardless of what political party or individual it is, as long as they break the law, we will fully support law enforcement agencies in investigating according to the law.

The minister reiterated that the government's stance is to fully support law enforcement and prosecution authorities in their investigation, regardless of the political affiliation or identity of those involved. She emphasized that the investigation process itself would respect the principle of "investigative secrecy." Liu's firm stance underscores the government's commitment to addressing the misuse of emerging technologies while upholding democratic freedoms.

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Taiwan is a democratic and lawful country that absolutely guarantees freedom of speech, but I think fabricating someone else's voice is something that all Taiwanese people cannot accept.