Steven Miles slams video of premier performing tone-deaf act amid cost-of-living crisis – but not all is as it seems

Steven Miles has criticised an AI-generated video of him dancing, calling it a “dangerous turning point for democracy”.

The 14-second clip posted by the Liberal National Party showed the Queensland Premier dancing to the song “Closer,” a popular Ne-Yo hit from the late 2000s.

With state elections looming on October 26, the deepfake targeted the government for allegedly having the “wrong priorities.”

“POV: My rent went up $60 a week, my energy bill went up 20 percent, but the PM made a sandwich on TikTok,” it read.

The last part of the caption refers to an Instagram video the prime minister made last week, in which he filmed himself making a sandwich for his children.

The LNP has labelled the video as generative artificial intelligence technology.

Miles slammed opposition leader David Crisafulli, calling the video a “dangerous turning point for democracy”.

According to him, the clip is an important warning that you should not believe everything you see on social media.

“It is appalling and disgusting that David Crisafulli has stooped to using AI and deepfake videos to attack me,” the prime minister told Daily Mail Australia.

‘David Crisafulli needs to explain why he thinks this is okay. It’s a test of his character.

‘At a time when misinformation is rampant, we as politicians have a duty to communicate clearly and honestly with our public and voters.’

While there are currently no rules prohibiting political parties or candidates from using AI-generated material in election ads as long as they include a disclaimer, the prime minister said his party has no plans to use AI.

However, the LNP was quick to point out that Miles was also guilty of posting artificially generated political content.

Mr Crisafulli’s office said he shared a photo on Instagram in May with the caption: “We asked AI to create a graph about 50 cent fares in Queensland.”

A spokeswoman for the shadow minister for integrity in government, Fiona Simpson, said it was hypocritical for Miles to criticise a video with a “clear label”.

“This whole thing has now spiralled out of control right under Steven Miles’ nose… and the Labor Party has been caught red-handed in their own lies and apparent outrage,” she said.

‘Imagine if Steven Miles and the Labor Party focused equally on solving Queensland’s housing, health, cost of living and youth crime problems instead of these baseless fear campaigns and personal attacks.

‘Labor has already told Queenslanders not to look at their record in government. Sadly, this is yet another example of how hard the Labor Party will try to cover up their appalling record in the run-up to the October election.’

The prime minister has been criticised after admitting to using AI earlier this year

In a submission to an AI study earlier this year, the Australian Electoral Commission said the focus was on the technology’s impact on “electoral integrity and public trust”.

Home Secretary Clare O’Neil told Sunrise on Wednesday that videos like these were “political cartoons designed for the modern age”.

“I don’t think it looks real and that’s important,” she said.

“I would say we actually have a pretty serious problem with AI-generated deepfakes.

‘It’s not that; this is really a political cartoon.

‘For me this is a spot that, honestly, [fellow panelist Jane Hume] and as a politician I am used to it.’