A DOUBLE dose of denials was issued by the government last night – both to do with material circulating on social media.

One was relating to claims about Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers deployed in Haiti, the other was a disturbing glimpse into the future.

Let’s deal with the Haiti matter first, or rather the way in which that one arose. Social media posts claimed that officers there have been abandoned, unpaid and placed in unsafe conditions.

The government issued a denial, insisting that all deployed officers and marines are receiving their full salaries plus hazard pay and that the welfare of personnel is a top priority.

That is straightforward – a claim made, a denial issued.

The other matter was a more troubling one, if more definitively untrue.

A video has been circulating, creating using artificial intelligence technology. That fake video seemed to show our Prime Minister, Philip Davis, promoting an investment scheme.

It is a hoax. A sham. Bunkum.

A close eye would make out the telltale details that this was fake. A close ear would hear unusual pronunciation that would not come from our Prime Minister.

But con artists rely on the fact that people do not always pay close attention.

The previous generation of such scams were emails trying to lure the unwary into clicking links and signing away their money to others.

Now we have AI scams trying the same – only with familiar faces and voices to make it all seem more convincing.

The Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement to assure that this was not an official video, was not produced by any government agency and urging people not to share such manipulated videos. In addition, the police have been contacted.

But we should have our eyes wide open – such things will become more common, and more convincing, in our future.

We certainly should be planning ahead, and perhaps considering stronger legislation to deal with those within our jurisdiction who might create such schemes. There is no good in those who would create these scams in order to snare those unable to spot the difference from reality. This is deliberate, calculated and designed solely to fool people out of their money. For the people who perpetrate such scams, the more vulnerable the victim the better. Such crooks need to be locked up for a long time.

In this instance, the Prime Minister was the fake face, but it could just as easily be anyone. And as we say, the technology is improving all the time.

So if you see this video circulating, don’t share it. Delete and move on. Warn your friends and family and other contacts.

But though this may be a minor incident, all told, with hopefully no one falling for it before they hear the warning not to, it is a warning bell, and it ought to give a thought to what happens when the next one comes along, and the next one. Heaven forbid, what happens if election season sees fake videos circulating to unbalance the outcome?

This is the time to consider how to deal with it, before things get worse.