Spanish Opposition Party Uses Deepfake Video in Election Campaign, Sparks Outrage

Deepfake Video Targets Political Opponents

Spain's main opposition party, the conservative People’s party (PP), launched a political advertisement across its social media channels featuring a deepfake video. The video used artificial intelligence to manipulate the likenesses of various individuals associated with Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party, including his wife, Begoña Gómez, and former Socialist president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The manipulated figures appeared to admit to acts such as soliciting prostitutes and taking kickbacks, with Gómez's deepfake discussing receiving a university post due to her husband's position, and Zapatero's deepfake mentioning hiding jewelry.

Official Response and Public Outcry

The Socialist party quickly responded to the video, which accumulated nearly 2 million views. Óscar López, Spain’s digital transformation minister, condemned the video as a "colossal lie" and deemed it intolerable for a party to disseminate such content on its official accounts. Although the video included a small, nearly transparent disclaimer stating it was AI-generated, López highlighted the risk of confusing the video with reality for those unfamiliar with AI technology.

Legal Challenges and Debate on Legality

Leire Díez, a former Socialist party member whose likeness was used in the video, filed a legal challenge against the PP, accusing the party of defamation and digital identity theft. She requested the immediate removal of the campaign advert. While a majority of legal experts consulted by El País newspaper suggested the video might not be illegal due to its AI label and satirical tone, the broader implications for political discourse and the use of AI remain a subject of debate.