Politics
It was an artificial endorsement.
A Republican congressional candidate from Michigan on Friday retracted an apology he initially made for a video published on his TikTok account that featured an artificial intelligence-generated narration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The re-enacted voice of the slain civil rights leader endorses Anthony Hudson for representative of Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. Deleted social media postsIt is a parody of Martin Luther King’s iconic 1963 speech, “I Have a Dream.”
“I have another dream, and it’s me, Martin Luther King,” says an AI voiceover in the bizarre video. “I’ve come back from the dead to say something.”
“Like I said, I have another dream – a dream of Anthony Hudson becoming the next Congressman for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. Yes, I had another dream. Farewell, I’m back where I came from,” the disturbing deepfake continues, before Hudson’s voice can be heard saying, “I stand by this message.”
Hudson, an Army veteran and owner of a small trucking company, claims he had nothing to do with this extremely poor decision.
“A volunteer gave my social media credentials to a friend, who then posted the AI video without my knowledge,” Hudson said. I wrote to X“Not only did they use AI for MLK Jr.’s voice, but it looks like they used AI for my voice to sound more authentic.”
“The volunteer has been released and all my social media credentials have been updated,” he added. “I would never have approved such a stupid and disrespectful video!”
However, Hudson appeared to have a change of heart just hours after his initial apology.
“After further review of the Dr. King video in question, I have decided not only not to hire any campaign staff, but to raise their salaries, as I believe Dr. King would be disgusted by the utter suffering that the residents of Flint, Michigan have endured under the watch of this administration.” He wrote About X.
“I believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would support me and my vision for a better Michigan,” Hudson asserted.
The Washington Post has reached out to Hudson’s campaign for comment.
Hudson, who abandoned a long-shot presidential campaign earlier this year, is one of three Republicans running in Michigan’s Aug. 6 GOP primary.
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) announced last year that he would not run for a seventh term representing the Great Lakes state’s 8th Congressional District, and his 2024 race remains up in the air.