Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Jun 4
Trump, Abbott and Blakeman Post 3 AI Hoops Jabs at Hochul
Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Jun 4

Trump, Abbott and Blakeman Post 3 AI Hoops Jabs at Hochul

3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Jun 4

Summary

  • Trump, Greg Abbott and Bruce Blakeman have posted AI-generated basketball images or video showing themselves dunking on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul during the Knicks’ NBA Finals run.
  • Blakeman’s clip was made by 40-year-old software engineer Walter Shub, a volunteer supporter who said the glitches only draw more attention and framed the work as satire rather than deception.
  • That distinction matters because a 2024 New York law requires disclosure for “materially deceptive media,” while satire is exempt; Blakeman’s video still carries a small “AI” label.
  • Hochul tried to turn the posts back on her Republican critics, saying their memes suggested support for men and women competing together in sports.
  • Madison Square Garden Sports, despite policing Knicks-related political imagery before, said it sees no trademark violations in the Knicks-like jerseys used in the posts.

Insights

Where is the legal line between a harmless AI political parody and deceptive misinformation?
As AI rewrites political reality, how can voters learn to trust what they see online?