The Vatican has highlighted how a fake video depicting the new Pope has been created with artificial intelligence before being uploaded to YouTube.
The 36-minute “speech” depicts Pope Leo XIV praising Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso, who came to power through a 2022 coup. The Russian-backed revolutionary African leader is capitalising on anti-West sentiment to emerge as a Messianic figure for disgruntled youth, reportsthe Daily Telegraph.
It notes that the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and and AI deepfakes combine to "boost" the 37-year-old leader's reputation as an anti-colonial saviour.
