Columbia Mayor Buffaloe informing residents about…

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe recently alerted the public regarding an AI-generated video of herself that surfaced online. The deceptive content was created by manipulating a legitimate video of the mayor recorded on a Friday, prompting her to issue a formal warning to her constituents.

What happened

The incident involved the unauthorized use of Mayor Buffaloe’s likeness to create synthetic media. The perpetrator took a pre-existing video of the mayor from a Friday and applied AI synthesis techniques to alter the content into something inaccurate. The breach of her digital likeness was brought to the mayor's attention by a local resident, whom she publicly thanked for the notification.

In response to the incident, Mayor Buffaloe utilized a Facebook post to advise residents on how to navigate potential misinformation. She strongly encourages citizens to rely exclusively on official social media pages belonging to government bodies, recognized institutions, elected officials, and established news organizations. She further advised that if members of the public encounter content that appears inaccurate, they should verify the source immediately. Additionally, the mayor recommended that users utilize reporting tools provided by social platforms to flag posts they believe violate community standards regarding deceptive or synthetic media.