2m Views: Spain's Deepfake Election Ad Sparks Row

Nearly two million people watched a political advertisement released this week by Spain's main opposition party. The clip, distributed by the conservative People's Party (PP) on social media, uses artificial intelligence to mimic the voices and faces of figures aligned with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party.

The video portrays these individuals confessing to various scandals. In one segment, an AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez, Sánchez's wife, discusses receiving a university position due to her husband's political status. Another segment features a deepfake of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stating he kept jewelry in a safe. Both references align with current investigations, though both individuals have denied any wrongdoing.

The Socialist Party reacted swiftly to the release. Digital Transformation Minister Óscar López told broadcaster TVE that the party was telling a colossal lie on its official accounts. He pointed out that the label identifying the content as AI-generated appeared in small, nearly transparent text at the bottom of the screen. He warned that viewers unfamiliar with digital tools might mistake the simulation for reality.

Leire Díez, a former Socialist party member whose likeness was included in the video, filed a court complaint against the PP on Friday. She sought the immediate removal of the advert, citing defamation and digital identity theft. The video used her image to suggest she worked to undermine the judiciary and law enforcement to benefit her former party.

Legal experts consulted by El País generally favored the PP's position. Eight of the nine specialists reviewed the case and concluded the video was not illegal. They noted that the clip was clearly labeled as AI-generated and maintained a satirical tone. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, stated that the context makes it clear the figures did not actually speak those words. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, distinguished between legality and political appropriateness.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain's National University for Distance Education, criticized the move. He described it as regrettable for a party claiming to revitalize democracy to use deepfakes on its official channels. He argued that placing words in rivals' mouths constitutes disinformation, even if the video was labeled as artificial.

The PP dismissed the backlash. Party figure Borja Sémper stated that a problem would only exist if the party had intended to deceive viewers into believing the characters were real. He argued that the digital tools were used to expose Socialist hypocrisy. Most polls indicate the PP will win the general election scheduled for November 29, though it will likely require support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.

The controversy mirrors trends in other democracies. In the United States, a Wesleyan University report identified more than 200 AI-generated ads ahead of next month's midterm elections. Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, noted that spending on such ads was under $50,000 in the 2024 cycle. She observed that much of the current usage lacks clear disclaimers, similar to the Spanish campaign.