Jordan Peterson does not criticize the German government in this video

A video by the Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson is circulating on social networks, in which he is said to be badmouthing German government politicians. The video is a fake, a so-called deepfake, which was created with the help of artificial intelligence. This was confirmed by the author of the clip and Peterson himself.

The alleged inclusion of the Canadian psychologist and best-selling author Jordan Peterson is circulating Facebook, Telegram and became a thousandfold Twitter divided.

The claim: The video shows Jordan Peterson allegedly critical of members of the German government. The federal government is a “Kakistokratie”, a rule of the worst and “a single freak show, a complete circus,” says Peterson allegedly. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is a “complete and absolute disgrace”. Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) – “not the slightest economic experience” – and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) – “a strange, zombie-like creature of the night” – mentioned the alleged Peterson.

Canadian psychologist and former University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson has gained fame in recent years as a youtuber, podcaster and book author. His guidebook “12 Rules for Life”, published in 2018, was awarded more than five million copies sold a bestseller. critics accuse Peterson of representing right-wing positions in relation to gender studies, role models and political correctness.

Video comes from satire account

A search on the Youtube-Kanal by Jordan Peterson led AFP to Originalvideo. This was uploaded to the video platform on February 20, 2023 and shows Peterson in conversation with the Russian-British satirist and author Konstantin Kisin. The topic of the almost two-hour conversation is: “Counter-Woke Revolution”.

Peterson wears the same tan suit and brown patterned tie in this video as the clip that was recently shared. The background, with the fireplace on the left and the floor lamp and potted plants on the right behind Peterson, is also the same as in the video circulating on social media. The scene from the manipulated video starts at minute 6:36 in the original video. This is clearly recognizable from the gesture Peterson makes with the blue pen in his right hand. Even details like the folds of his suit jacket match exactly.

Screenshot of the manipulated video on Twitter: March 10, 2023

Screenshot of the original videos on Youtube: March 10, 2023

In the specific scene, Peterson is actually talking about “apocalyptic moralists” who called for a sustainable lifestyle. If you look closely in the fake video, you can see that Peterson’s supposed words don’t always match his lip movements 100%.

The fake video was first shared on February 27, 2023 on the twitter account “Snicklink”, who describes himself as a “conspiracy comedian”. The account posts regularly satirical memes, photomontages and manipulated videos well-known politicians.

The Facebook page also belongs to the satire account “Snickers for left-handers”who im Headerbild bears the lettering “Deepfakes for Linksschwurbler”. The operator of the Twitter account left an AFP request for the background of the video unanswered.

Peterson condemns deepfake video

After the Jordan Peterson video was released, “Snicklink” made several posts on Twitter calling the clip a deepfake. On March 4, 2023, the account posted about one Screenshot of a complaint on Twitter over the original video with the comment: “Real human complaint about AI generated voice content on real celebrity with fake mouth movement.” A day later, on March 5, 2023, “Snicklink” posted again Deepfake video by Petersonin which he reacts to the original video by saying, “Jordan Peterson reacts to deepfake of himself!”

A video of Jordan Peterson has already been altered by the Twitter account “Snicklink”. Another manipulated video, dated February 12, 2023, shows Peterson allegedly talking about Austrian rapper Money Boy speaks.

Peterson himself condemned the currently fake video on March 4, 2023 also via Twitter. Even if the voice is not quite in sync, the video appears convincing, he wrote and added: “The production of such fakes should be a criminal offense punishable by ten years imprisonment. This technology is unimaginably dangerous.”

Deepfakes are manipulated videos in which one person’s facial features are superimposed on another person’s body with the help of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, with the help of technology, you can too human voices be imitated in a deceptively real way. In some cases, deepfakes can be recognized by their typical characteristics.

The Austrian portal “Safer Internet” has compiled these characteristics on its website. For example, unnatural facial expressions or a blank look can indicate a fake. The transition between face and hair or face and beard is often blurred in deepfakes. In the case of the Peterson video, it can be seen that its folds around the corners of the mouth do not move despite the lip movements, indicating a fake.

In the past, deepfakes of the former US President Barack Obama and the actor Tom Cruise attracted a lot of attention online.

Conclusion: The video in which Jordan Peterson criticizes the German government is a fake. The original video on Youtube shows a conversation between Peterson and a satirist. The author of the manipulated video himself described it as a deepfake. Peterson himself condemned the forgery on Twitter.