On August 6, 2025, the NewsNation anchor ranted on air about a video of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supposedly praising actress Sydney Sweeney’s “sultry little temptress” looks and “ocean-blue eyes that could resurrect the Führer.”
The problem? It was fake. Painfully fake.
The video came from a meme account, watermarked “parody 100% made with AI.” But Cuomo bought it anyway. AOC herself had to jump in and set him straight: “This is a deepfake, dude. Please use your critical thinking skills.”
If even a veteran journalist cannot tell the difference between real and AI, what hope does the average voter scrolling their feed have?
But wait it gets worse. It’s not just about being able to tell when it’s a fake, it’s also being able to tell when it’s real.
The Liar’s Dividend is the added bonus to the confusion caused by deep fakes.
Welcome to the Age of the Liar’s Dividend—
This is a post-truth era where the more real something is, the easier it is to dismiss.
The term liar’s dividend was coined in 2018 by legal scholars Bobby Chesney and Danielle Citron. They warned that deepfakes were dangerous not only because they can fabricate falsehoods, but because they give liars a new shield:
Once people know fakes exist, anyone caught red-handed can cry foul and claim the evidence isn’t real.
The Liar's Dividend is the benefit a dishonest person gains by using the widespread presence of deepfakes and AI-generated content to cast doubt on genuine, damaging information about themselves. Instead of simply denying a true accusation, they claim the evidence is fake, confusing the public and undermining trust in verifiable facts.
That’s the “dividend”: a propaganda jackpot where truth isn’t about what happened — only about what you can convince people to doubt.
How It Works
An incident is caught on camera, in court, or in the public record.
Instead of explaining the evidence, they attack reality itself:
“That’s AI.”
“It’s been doctored.”
“This is a hit job.”
Confusion spreads. People hesitate. “What if it is fake?”
The liar slips free. Trust slips away.
It’s gaslighting at scale. And it’s working.
Real-World Examples: Deepfake or Liar’s Dividend
Trump Allies: In 2024, his supporters circulated AI-generated photos of Trump smiling with young Black men, falsely described as real campaign moments. The goal was to soften his image and make him look more inclusive than his record ever showed. Verdict: DEEPFAKE
Deepfake of Trump shared by supporters with to make him look more inclusive illustrating how AI is being weaponized to shape perception. Authoritarian States: Governments have dismissed leaked footage of human rights abuses as “Western fakes,” muddying the waters until accountability is lost. Verdict: LIAR’s DIVIDEND
Conspiracy Influencers: Each new fake becomes proof that everything is suspect, fueling a nihilism where nothing can be trusted. Verdict: LIAR’s DIVIDEND
Rachel Maddow: In 2025, viral deepfake stories falsely claimed she had a secret daughter, bought a Texas home, and was airlifted from floods. She went on air to deny them. Some still refused to believe her. Verdict: DEEPFAKE
Why It’s So Dangerous
The Liar’s Dividend doesn’t just protect liars. It corrodes the very idea of proof. It encourages:
Apathy: “Who knows what’s real anymore?”
Paralysis: “I’ll stay out of it until the truth is clear.”
Manipulation: “I only believe my side. The rest is propaganda.”
Over time, it destroys the public’s ability to recognize truth at all. And that isn’t just inconvenient. That’s democracy-breaking.
How to Fight Back
Stay curious. Ask: Is this real? What’s the source? Who verified it?
Pause before sharing. Every repost helps the lie travel farther.
Know the playbook. When someone refuses to answer the facts and instead attacks reality itself, you’re watching the Liar’s Dividend in action.
Don’t surrender to doubt. You don’t have to know everything to know something is true.
Bottom Line
AI is a fantastic tool that promises to change the very nature of the human experience on the planet. Utilizing the power of AI to process information faster than ever before, we have the potential to cure cancer and solve poverty.
But AI is just a tool. In the hands of gifted humanitarians, it can be used to achieve major milestones in human evolution. It can be misused by unethical actors it can be used to manipulate and deceive. In the hands of a tyrant, it can be used as a weapon against democracy.
The Liar’s Dividend is a defense strategy for the dishonest — a way to dodge the truth by eroding trust itself.
It is not clever.
It is not new.
But it is powerful, if we let it be.
Stay grounded. Stay skeptical.
But don’t give in to the gaslight.
It’s a brave New World. To preserve it, we are all going to have to exercise our critical thinking skills.
ಠಿᴥಠ
Democracies dissolve gradually.
Ours survives because it evolves—as we do.
The choice is still ours—Evolve or Dissolve.
Validation Appendix
Chesney & Citron — “Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge for Privacy, Democracy, and National Security” (2018).
https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/640
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3213954Salon — “NewsNation’s Cuomo falls for AOC Sydney Sweeney deepfake” (Aug 6, 2025).
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/06/newsnations-cuomo-falls-for-aoc-sydney-sweeney-deepfakeThe Guardian — “Chris Cuomo mocked for response after falling for deepfake AOC video” (Aug 7, 2025).
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/07/chris-cuomo-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-deepfakeCalifornia Law Review — Published version of “Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge …”
https://www.californialawreview.org/print/deep-fakes-a-looming-challenge-for-privacy-democracy-and-national-securityCouncil on Foreign Relations — “Disinformation on Steroids: The Threat of Deep Fakes.”
https://www.cfr.org/report/deep-fake-disinformation-steroidsLawfare Podcast — “Bobby Chesney and Danielle Citron on Deep Fakes.”
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawfare-podcast-bobby-chesney-and-danielle-citron-deep-fakesMaryland Law Review — “21st Century-Style Truth Decay: Deep Fakes and the Challenge for Privacy, Free Expression, and National Security.”
https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/mlr/vol78/iss4/5The Independent — “Chris Cuomo trolled for falling for AOC deepfake video …”
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/chris-cuomo-aoc-sydney-sweeney-jeans-b2803523.html