Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock is speaking out against the use of artificial intelligence-generated images after photos falsely claiming he was sick and fighting cancer circulated online.
According to Warnock, Georgia constituents not only commented on the images hoping for his recovery, but friends called the senator to wish him well, despite Warnock not currently experiencing any ill health.
The images ranged from what Warnock called "funny," like an photo claiming he had regrown his hair, to what the senator called "bizarre" and "scary."
"Congress needs to act," Warnock said in a video posted on social media Wednesday.
AI photos falsely claim Warnock battling cancer
In photos shared by Warnock's congressional office, the senator is depicted as having experienced a serious medical episode
while delivering a speech.
"Panic spread across the packed square as Raphael Warnock suddenly experienced health issues and collapsed while delivering a speech," the caption on the AI photo read.
Warnock was depicted with his eyes closed while three others surround him with concerned looks on their faces.
The issue is this never happened.
"I recently ran across this Facebook page that was posting tons of fake AI-generated images and stories about me. Some of it was funny. (One) post, for example, says that apparently I have regrown a full head of hair. I should be so lucky. I checked the mirror this morning. Not true," Warnock said in a video posted on Instagram. "Some of it was bizarre, like (one) post that says I've had twin grandchildren."
Other stories, like the one depicting his fake collapse, are "scary," the senator said.
"Posts like these have received thousands of likes, thousands of views. Some well-meaning constituents and friends, well-wishers, actually called, saying that they were praying for my speedy recovery," Warnock said.
Warnock warns of AI 'bad actors'
"As these tools become increasingly powerful, it will get harder and harder to distinguish fact from fiction, and there are already bad actors out there who are doing everything they can to divide us and confuse us, and this has huge implications for our democracy," Warnock said. "What if hours before an election, someone created a page with AI-generated images, fake stories about candidates? How will voters know what's true and what's not true?"
Warnock is not running in the 2026 midterms, but AI-generated videos have been used in the Senate race between fellow Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and his Republican opponent Rep. Mike Collins.
The Collins campaigned released an AI-generated video depicting Ossoff in a "Family Guy"-style animation sitting in a chair getting his hair highlighted. A video plays on a television screen that describes funding used by the Ossoff campaign for "hair and makeup." The animated Ossoff says in a voice that sounds very much like the senator, "Wait, what's that?" before becoming outraged and demanding the video on the television come down as he lists cosmetic treatments he needs.
It's not the first AI-generated ad from the Collins team, and Ossoff has repeatedly called for ads using artificial intelligence to be pulled as they depict him saying things he has not said in reality.
"We have a whole lot of work to do where AI is concerned. AI is here; it is a part of our lives. We must deal with issues related to safety and jobs, but this underscores yet another issue: our democracy itself," Warnock said. "Social media companies have to move quickly to label this material. Congress needs to act. We need guardrails. We need regulations. We need to figure this out. The future is already here."
Washington not on the same page
While Warnock joins a myriad of lawmakers from across the country calling for AI guardrails and legislation, not everyone in Washington is backing the proposals.
Todd Blanche, the U.S. Attorney General, said in recent comments the Department of Justice should prosecute AI-related crimes, but it shouldn't regulate AI.
"I do not think it's the job of the Department of Justice to regulate, we're prosecutors, not regulators. So we're not gonna try to regulate AI. AI is extraordinarily beneficial to our society. There's a lot of great work that AI does, and it's also something that has conveniently become a flash point this week and the President has spoke about that and I very much agree with him," Blanche told reporters.
On Monday, President Trump posted on Truth Social and said "the only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"
He went on to say his administration has stopped AI bad actors from doing "things," and called out Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei who recently raised concerned about the speed of AI's development.
"We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China," the president wrote. "WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE!"
Irene Wright covers Georgia's politicians as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia senator speaks out after AI photos of him circulate online
