Opposition's AI Video Sparks Firestorm

Spain's political temperature spiked Friday after the country's main opposition party deployed a synthetic video depicting the prime minister's wife and other figures allegedly confessing to corruption, a move that triggered immediate backlash and raised fresh alarms about the role of artificial intelligence in democratic contests. The controversy arrives just weeks before the nation heads to the polls on November 29, in a deeply polarized environment.

The conservative People's Party distributed the clip across its social media platforms earlier in the week. The production, created using generative tools, manipulated the likenesses of several individuals associated with Pedro Sánchez's Socialist administration. In the footage, an AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez, the prime minister's spouse, is shown claiming she obtained a university position due to her husband's position. Another segment features a fabricated representation of former Socialist leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero discussing the concealment of jewelry in a safe. Both scenarios reference ongoing judicial inquiries, and both individuals have previously stated they committed no wrongdoing.

Digital transformation minister Óscar López addressed the broadcast on Friday, labeling the content a colossal lie and arguing that a major political organization distributing such material on official channels is intolerable. He pointed out that the disclosure indicating the content was artificial intelligence was rendered in minute, nearly invisible lettering at the bottom of the frame. López cautioned that individuals without a background in the technology could easily mistake the fabricated statements for authentic recordings.

Legal consequences are already materializing. Leire Díez, a former Socialist member whose image appeared in the video without her consent, filed a complaint on Friday demanding the immediate removal of the advertisement. Díez is accusing the People's Party of defamation and identity theft, contending the footage uses her likeness to suggest she interfered with the judiciary and law enforcement to assist the Socialists. The clip has already been viewed nearly two million times.

Despite the uproar, legal experts consulted regarding the matter generally suggest the People's Party may remain within legal boundaries. A majority of those consulted agreed the video was not unlawful because it was explicitly labeled as AI-generated and carried a satirical tone. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean of the law faculty at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, stated that given the context, everyone knows those people did not say those things.

Ethical questions, however, remain unresolved. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, emphasized that legality is separate from whether the video is appropriate or ethically and politically correct. José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain's National University for Distance Education who studies populism and AI biases, said it was regrettable that a party claiming to want to revitalize democracy would use deepfakes to target opponents. He said putting words in other people's mouths qualifies as disinformation.

The People's Party has dismissed the outcry. Borja Sémper said there would be a problem only if there had been malicious intent to make people believe the characters were real, adding that everyone can see the video uses digital tools to highlight Socialist hypocrisy. He argued the footage merely exposes behavior the party considers hypocritical. The People's Party released the video this week on its social media channels.

This tactic is not isolated to Iberia. The issue is also emerging in the United States ahead of next month's midterm elections. A recent report by a Wesleyan University research group identified more than 200 ads using AI, most of them tied to Republicans. Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, noted that less than $50,000 in spending on AI-generated ads was found in the 2024 cycle, and that much of the current use carries no disclaimer.

As Spain moves toward Election Day on November 29, the fallout from the synthetic video continues to dominate the campaign. Polls indicate the People's Party is likely to win the popular vote, but it would require cooperation from the far-right Vox party to secure enough seats to establish a government, a prospect that places additional scrutiny on the conduct of all parties involved.