Chris Cuomo Exposed for Sharing Deepfake of AOC: Urgent Update
UPDATE: Chris Cuomo is facing intense backlash after mistakenly sharing a deepfake video of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticizing Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad campaign. The incident occurred on October 25, 2023, leading to widespread mockery and a swift response from Ocasio-Cortez herself.
In a post on his X account, Cuomo showcased a fabricated video that falsely depicted Ocasio-Cortez denouncing Sweeney’s advertisement as “Nazi propaganda.” The video, which included crude remarks about female body parts, was clearly labeled with a watermark indicating it was “parody 100% made with AI.” Despite this, Cuomo failed to notice the warning and criticized Ocasio-Cortez for her priorities, stating, “Nothing about Hamas or people burning Jews’ cars. But Sweeney jeans ad? Deserved time on the floor of Congress?”
The real Ocasio-Cortez quickly called out Cuomo, replying, “This is a deepfake dude. Please use your critical thinking skills. At this point, you’re just reposting Facebook memes and calling it journalism.” This incident highlights the urgent need for media literacy in an age where artificial intelligence can easily mislead the public.
After realizing his error, Cuomo deleted the original post but attempted to redirect the conversation back to his criticism of Ocasio-Cortez regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. “You are correct… that was a deepfake (but it really does sound like you),” he acknowledged. “But now to the central claim: show me you calling on Hamas to surrender or addressing the bombing of a car in Clayton, Missouri, belonging to an IDF American soldier?”
This reference was to a recent incident in Clayton, where multiple vehicles outside the home of a former Israeli military member were set ablaze and vandalized with anti-IDF graffiti, an act currently being investigated as a hate crime.
Ocasio-Cortez retorted, “You seem to struggle with knowing how to write an apology. Do you need help? Maybe you should call someone.” Cuomo admitted, “I was wrong. AOC gave me a smack today because I tried to give her a smack first.” However, he insisted that Ocasio-Cortez ignored the crucial part of his tweet, which demanded she call on Hamas to surrender.
The exchange has sparked a storm of online commentary, with figures like Piers Morgan chiming in. Morgan advised Cuomo to focus more on identifying fakes, stating, “Oh dear,” followed by several laughing emojis. He encouraged Cuomo to “perhaps spend less time bitching about me and more time trying to spot obvious fakes.”
Tim Miller, a political commentator, expressed concern over the implications of a news anchor being deceived by a deepfake. He posted on X, “It doesn’t augur well for our societal AI future if a professional news anchor gets tricked by a video that has a ‘100% parody’ watermark.”
As of now, the Post has reached out for comments from Cuomo, Ocasio-Cortez, and NewsNation. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of verifying information in an era rife with misinformation and deepfakes.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story as it unfolds.
