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In moments of political chaos, deepfakes and AI-generated content can thrive. Case in point: the online reaction to the US governments shocking operation in Venezuela over the weekend, which included multiple airstrikes and a clandestine mission that ended with the capture of the countrys president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. They were soon charged with narcoterrorism, along with other crimes, and theyre currently being held at a federal prison in New York. Right now, the facts of the extraordinary operation are still coming to light, and the future of Venezuela is incredibly unclear. President Donald Trump says the U.S. government plans to run the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that, no, America isn’t going to do that, and that the now-sworn-in former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez will lead instead. Others are still calling for opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonalzez to take charge. Its in moments like this that deepfakes, disinformation campaigns, and even AI-generated memes, can pick up traction. When the truth, or the future, isnt yet obvious, generative artificial intelligence allows people to render content that answers the as-yet-unanswered questions, filling in the blanks with what they might want to be true. Weve already seen AI videos about whats going on in Venezuela. Some are meme-y depictions of Maduro handcuffed on a military plane, but some could be confused for actual footage. While a large number of Venezuelans did come out to celebrate Maduros capture, videos displaying AI-generated crowds have also popped up, including one that apparently tricked X CEO Elon Musk. At least anecdotally, deepfake content related to Venezuela has spiked in recent days, says Ben Colman, the cofounder and CEO of Reality Defender, a firm that tracks deepfakes. Those narratives arent tied to any movement and run the gamut from nationalist to anti-government, pro-Venezuela, pro-US, pro-unity, anti-globalization, and everything in between, he says. The difference between this event and events from even a few months ago is that image models have gotten so good in recent days that the most astute fact-checkers, media verification experts, and experts in our field are unable to manually verify many of them by pointing to specific aspects of the image as an indicator for validity or lack thereof, Colman explains. That battle (of manual, visual verification) is pretty much lost.” OpenAI told Fast Company that its monitoring how Venezuela is playing out across its products and says it will take action where it sees violations of its usage policies.The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, a federal outfit established to monitor disinformation campaigns aboard, would have previously tracked the situation, a former employee says. For instance, within the Russian war in Ukraine, the State Department saw deepfakes of leaders trying to convince soldiers to lay down their arms, and fake narratives about additional entrants into the war. During political chaos, its common for online actors to try to disincentivize opposing factions, the person adds. That center was later shut down, after Republicans accused the outfit of censoring Americans. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication. ‘Accelerants’ Political deepfakes and AI-generated content are now commonplace. A few years ago, AI-generated TV anchors spreading pro-government talking points, seemingly intended to promote the idea that Venezuela’s economy and security were generally good went viral across the country. In 2024, a party affiliated with former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, shared a deepfake video featuring an AI-generated Donald Trump endorsing their platform (that was far from the only example in the country). As even the recent New York City mayoral election showed, AI is often deployed during tense campaign seasons. The Knight First Amendment Institute, which analyzed the use of AI in elections back in 2024, found that many deployments of AI, especially during election time, arent necessarily meant to deceiveand that misinformation isnt always created from AI. The problem isnt just that its easy to make disinformation with AI, but that people are open to ingesting disinformation. In other words, theres demand for this kind of content. “Deepfakes in this context aren’t just misinformation, they are accelerants, Emmanuelle Saliba, chief investigative officer at GetReal Security, another firm that tracks deepfakes, told Fast Company. “While some of the fabricated content we’ve seen circulating is created to feed meme culture, some of it has been created and disseminated to confuse and destabilize people during an already volatile climate. Trust is hanging by a thread.”
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E-Commerce
Kim Kardashians apparel brand Skims is outfitting American athletes at the Olympics for the fourth time in a row, and this years collection is its cheekiest one yet. Skims and Team USA have established something of an annual tradition. The brand has dressed Olympic and Paralympic athletes in new loungewear-slash-underwear capsules at the Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, and Paris 2024 Gamesand now, its back for Milano Cortina 2026. This years collection includes everything from Americana-themed panties to cozy pajama sets, tasteful sweaters, menswear, and accessories. The collection will be available to average folk starting on January 8 at Skims.com and some Skims flagship stores, with prices ranging between $20 and $88. From left: Dani Aravich, Kaysha Love, Madison Chock. [Photo: Skims] Compared to previous collaborations, this years launch isnt exactly reinventing the wheel. However, sprinkled throughout the more standard offerings are a few items that feel like Juicy Couture turned sportyand for Skims, those pieces make complete sense. Skims Team USA serves up business in the front, party in the back For years, Team USAs Olympic aesthetic has largely been defined by its ultra-preppy, buttoned-up collaboration with Ralph Lauren, which has officially helmed the countrys ceremony outfits since 2008. Other brands, like J. Crew, have worked on more casual takes on Olympic apparel (see this years 70s-inspired collection), but Skims has led the charge on some of the most approachable Team USA gear in recent years, bringing its quintessential focus on minimalist silhouettes and soft fabrics to each new collection. This years Skims Team USA capsule is largely in line with years past. Staples include basic Team USA-themed ringer tees, undies, and tank tops, paired with flannel sleep shorts and wooly crewneck sweatersessentially, exactly what one might imagine from a Skims x Team USA collab. But a couple of the pieces seem to wink at a slightly more experimental direction. At least one of the pairs of underwear includes the phrase Team USA emblazoned in bold retro lettering across the bum. And in one photo, the Skims team styled this design quirk with a pair of white, over-the-knee socks, also featuring Team USA lettering. Its a shot that feels like a glimpse of how y2k Juicy Couture mightve handled Olympic outfitting; and it brings a sexier design ethos to prepand the worlds most anticipated athletic event. It makes sense that Skims Team USA might try something a bit more out-of-the-box this year, given that its cachet in the athleisure and brand collaboration spaces has expanded massively since its first Olympic partnership in 2020, including official partnerships with the NBA, WNBA, Nike, and North Face. If any brand could get away with bringing a bit of lighthearted levity to the Games apparel, it would be Skimsand as long as it doesnt verge into nipple bra or merkin territory, well take it.
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E-Commerce
A golden phone that President Donald Trump‘s family business promised to release last year remains mysteriously under wraps as the technology industry serves up a glut of new gadgets at CES in Las Vegas this week. When the Trump Organization launched a mobile phone service last June, it was supposed to be a stage setter for a new smartphone bathed in gold with a $500 price tag a bargain compared to Apple’s latest iPhone models that sell for anywhere from $800 to $1,200. The newly formed Trump Mobile targeted its T1 phone for an August or September release. What’s more, Trump Mobile initially hailed T1 as a device that would be proudly designed and built in the United States for customers who expect the best.” But both the T1’s shipping date and U.S. manufacturing ambitions gradually began to shift, even as Trump Mobile continues to accept $100 deposits for the device. Not long after announcing the device, Trump Mobile pivoted from describing it as a phone that would be made in the U.S. to framing it as a device that would be proudly American. Trump Mobile’s website now touts the T1 as having an American-proud design, with no further explanation. Analysts believed that the shift stemmed from a recognition that the U.S. lacked the supply chain and other logistics required to make a smartphone for less than $1,000 the same hurdles that made it implausible for Apple to acquiesce to President Trump’s demands that the company move its iPhone manufacturing from China and India. Later in the summer, Trump Mobile also became more vague about when the T1 would become available, but still indicated it would be delivered to customers who paid the $100 deposit by the end of 2025. Trump Mobile’s website continues to list the T1’s targeted release date as later this year. The Trump Organization didn’t respond to inquiries from The Associated Press about the delays or when the device is now expected to be shipped. The Financial Times recently reported that it was told by a customer representative for Trump Mobile that the phone will be shipped in late January and attributed its delayed release to the 43-day shutdown of the federal government last year. Whatever the reason, the T1’s ongoing absence from the smartphone market didn’t come as a surprise to International Data Corp. analyst Francisco Jeronimo. We have always been quite skeptical about this phone, Jeronimo said. They are probably finding that it is harder to build a phone than they thought it would be. Let’s see if this thing comes to life or not. While the T1 has remained in a holding pattern, Trump Mobile has been selling its wireless service for $47.45 per month a price tied to Donald Trump’s titles as the 47th and 45th President. For customers looking for a smartphone that they can use sooner rather than later, Trump Mobile is also selling refurbished versions of older iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy models at prices ranging from $370 to $630. Maybe they changed their strategy and figured out they are better off just selling refurbished phones, Jeronimo said. Michael Liedtke, AP technology writer
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E-Commerce
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