New Jersey

New Jersey concerned with deepfake AI. Here’s what deepfake artificial intelligence is

Published

1 year ago

August 12, 2024

New Jersey concerned with deepfake AI. Here’s what deepfake artificial intelligence is

There are real concerns that deepfake AI will impact the presidential election, and people in New Jersey are among the most concerned.

But what, exactly, is deepfake artificial intelligence? Here’s where the tech stands today, and why there is so much concern surrounding it.

What is a deepfake?

The University of Virginia’s Information and Security Department explains the technology as similar in nature to other image-generating software, but goes much further.

“A deepfake is an artificial image or video (a series of images) generated by a special kind of machine learning called deep’ learning, hence the name,” read the University of Virginia’s deepfake AI explainer. “Deep learning is similar to any kind of machine learning, where an algorithm is fed examples and learns to produce output that resembles the examples it learned from.”

How harmful is deepfake AI?

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, one company was bilked out $25 million in a deepfake scam, during which an employee was conned into making a deal through a deepfaked team meeting.

Global professional services group KPMG also warned of deepfake AI’s maliciousness.

“AI is now being used to alter maps, imagery, X-rays, and is used to generate text and even create realistic artwork,” read KPMG’s deepfake AI assessment. “Deepfakes are close to being readily available for a variety of purposes, not all of which are well-intended.”

New Jersey concerned by deepfake AI impact

New Jersey is among the ten states most concerned by the deepfake AI threat, according to findings from AI platform Plus Docs. Plus Docs based its findings off a review of related Google searches.

New Jersey ranked ninth in Plus Docs fundings, and was the only Mid-Atlantic state in the top ten.

“Deepfakes usually make it appear that someone said something they did not,” read an e-mail from Plus Docs, “often to spread a false narrative with nefarious intentions.”

How much AI will voters see this 2024 election

Craig Holman, a Capitol Hill lobbyist who works in governmental ethics for the nonprofit Public Citizen, believes 2024 will become the first deepfake election cycle, where AI will influence voters and impact election results.

“Artificial intelligence has been around for a while, but only in this election cycle have we seen it advance to the point where most people cannot tell the difference between a deepfake and reality,” Holman said. “It’s sort of breathtaking how good the AI has become.”

Deepfaked videos of Vice President and democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris were shared on the social media platform X, according to published reports.

And a separate published report indicated that republican presidential nominee Donald Trump deepfaked a photo of himself among a throng of Black supporters.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has been urged to rid X of deepfaked political content.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

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New Jersey

Isolated snow showers, wind gusts up to 35 mph in N.J. forecast for Sunday

Published

19 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Isolated snow showers, wind gusts up to 35 mph in N.J. forecast for Sunday

Rain will continue through tonight across New Jersey before a cold front passes through Sunday morning, followed by wind gusts up to 35 mph and the chance of isolated snow showers.

The heaviest rain tonight is expected along the southern portions of the state where 1 and 1.5 inches rainfall totals are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Most other areas of New Jersey should receive around 1 inch of rain, with the northwest portions of the state picking up 0.5 to 0.75 inches.

Heavy rain is expected to soak New Jersey through most of Saturday with rainfall totals up to 1.5 inches expected in the southern half of the state.National Weather Service

Once the rain ends between 6 and 9 a.m. Sunday, conditions should remain cloudy and foggy until a cold front passes through late Sunday morning into early Sunday afternoon.

Temperatures will drop into the upper 30s to low 40s Sunday morning as cold air moves in behind the first cold front.

A secondary cold front will cross New Jersey late Sunday afternoon accompanied by a period of rain and snow showers.

The isolated snow showers are possible mainly from 7 to 11 p.m., the weather service said. Snow accumulations are not expected in New Jersey.

Winds of 15 to 20 mph on Sunday afternoon are expected to increase to 25 to 35 mph by sunset.

Monday’s forecast calls for mainly clear skies with temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s and winds gradually diminishing.

Tuesday will be milder with above-normal temperatures and mainly clear to partly cloudy skies, with a slight chance of some rain showers possible.

Wednesday’s temperatures will remain above normal with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain showers as a cold front approaches from the west.

N.J. weather: Snow from costal winter storm possible next week — Forecasters are tracking the potential for a coastal storm that could bring snow to New Jersey late next week, or veer out to sea.AccuWeather.com

A potential coastal storm could impact New Jersey with snow on Thursday and Friday, though significant uncertainty remains regarding the exact track and timing of the system, the weather service said.

Some forecast models suggest a significant winter storm while others indicate the system will remain offshore.

A colder air mass is forecast to move into New Jersey by late next week and into the following weekend.

Current weather radar

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New Jersey

NJ officers surprised with Eagles playoffs tickets for saving boy who fell through ice

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

NJ officers surprised with Eagles playoffs tickets for saving boy who fell through ice

Officers in Gloucester County, New Jersey, got a big surprise on Friday morning.

A representative from Dunkin’ gave them free tickets to this weekend’s Eagles playoff game as a huge thank you for their courageous actions last weekend.

It was a tense scene in Woolwich Township when officers used ropes and went into a frozen body of water to save a child who had fallen through the ice.

“As soon as he started screaming that he couldn’t feel his hands, I just went out there and tried to go get him,” Sgt. Joseph Rieger said. “Immediately thought of my own son and what I would have done with my own son- just go out and get him as soon as I could.”

The boy was screaming and was not able to grab onto the rope that the officers had thrown to him.

“I try to get him the rescue rope but he can’t hold it because his hands aren’t working. So I go to grab him out of the awter and we both go into the water. So I was able to stand up and throw him on top of the ice and start breaking my way back,” Rieger explained.

The team was able to get the 13-year-old out of the frozen water with no one getting hurt.

Then, Dunkin’ showed up to the police department for Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and praised their actions by giving them tickets to Sunday’s Eagles playoff game against the 49ers.

“This is my job. It was what I signed up to do so getting this kind of attention, I’m not used to it. I’m very appreciative and very excited,” Rieger said.

The officers said that if there’s anything to take away from this story, it’s to stay off of the ice.

Thankfully, the boy they saved is doing just fine and stopped by the police department earlier this week to thank them.

“It was awesome. It was nice to see that he was safe. He learned his lesson. He was very appreciative,” Rieger said.

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