Former President Donald Trump has ignited a controversy by claiming Vice President Kamala Harris used artificial intelligence to inflate crowd sizes at her recent Michigan rally. The accusation, made on Trump's Truth Social platform, has thrust the issue of digital manipulation in political campaigns into the spotlight.

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On August 7, 2024, Harris held a campaign rally at Detroit Metro Airport, with local news outlet MLive reporting an attendance of approximately 15,000 people. However, Trump disputed this figure, writing on Truth Social: "There was nobody at the plane, and she 'A.I.'d' it, and showed a massive 'crowd' of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN'T EXIST!"

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Source: Truth Social

The Harris campaign swiftly responded, stating, "This is an actual photo of a 15,000-person crowd for Harris-Walz in Michigan." They also took a jab at Trump, noting he "has still not campaigned in a swing state in over a week."

Fact-checkers have weighed in on the dispute. Snopes, a prominent fact-checking website, ran the contested image through AI-detection tools and concluded it was likely authentic. Multiple news outlets and attendees also corroborated the large gathering with their own documentation.

This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing concern about AI's potential to manipulate public perception in political campaigns. While there's no evidence supporting Trump's claim in this instance, it highlights growing skepticism about digital media in politics.

Ironically, Trump's accusation came shortly after his own interview with Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter) faced significant technical difficulties. The much-anticipated conversation started 40 minutes late due to what Musk described as a "massive DDoS attack," though some experts have questioned this explanation.

The Harris campaign team, recently joined Truth Social, seized the opportunity to troll Trump by resharing his post from last year mocking Ron DeSantis' problematic campaign launch on Twitter. This move has been praised by some as clever political jiu-jitsu, while others see it as petty retaliation.

Meanwhile, at least three news outlets reportedly received leaked confidential material from the Trump campaign, including a report vetting JD Vance as a potential VP pick. These outlets have chosen not to publish the details, raising questions about how to handle potentially hacked or leaked information.

As the 2024 presidential campaign intensifies, this incident serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between technology, politics, and media. It underscores the need for critical thinking and robust fact-checking mechanisms in an era where the line between reality and digital manipulation can often blur.

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The controversy also highlights the ongoing challenge for lawmakers and tech companies in regulating AI-generated content in political advertising. As AI technology advances, distinguishing between authentic and manipulated content will likely become an increasingly critical skill for both voters and journalists.

In the broader context of the campaign, Harris has been cautiously rolling out her policy plans since inheriting Biden's political operation in late July. She's focused on broad goals like "building up the middle class" and calling for federal laws to provide abortion access and ban assault-style weapons, though details remain thin.

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