SOCIAL MEDIA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: PERSPECTIVES ON DEEPFAKES’ USE IN NIGERIA’S 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS

This study sets out to identify the forms and reasons behind deepfakes’ use and the effects during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections. The survey design was adopted using the quantitative research method for data collection and analysis. A total of 1500 copies of the “Perspectives on Use of Deepfakes” questionnaire was distributed to a research population drawn from five states of the South-South region of Nigeria namely Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Bayelsa. A set of 300 copies was distributed to each of the states with the help of research assistants from each location apart from Cross River. At the end of the field distribution, 1123 copies of the questionnaire were returned from all the states. The research population were Nigerians of voting age, 18 years and above, irrespective of age, educational qualification and occupational status. The research respondents were randomly selected to fill in the questionnaire. After quantitative analysis using statistical tables with simple percentages, findings revealed that the use of artificial intelligence in the form of deepfakes was dominant on social media especially in picture and voice forms and that deepfakes were used as a mudslinging tool to dent the image of some Nigerian politicians and as propaganda tools to present some personalities as misfits in Nigeria’s leadership positions. The paper concluded that Artificial Intelligence in the form of deepfakes was used predominantly for negative motives and recommended enactment of laws to regulate the use of deepfakes in Nigeria’s political space especially during elections.