2 million views: Deepfake ad of Spain's PM's wife sparks pre-election dispute

A deepfake advertisement released this week by Spain's conservative People's Party (PP) has attracted nearly 2 million views, intensifying the political battle ahead of general elections scheduled for November 29. The video, distributed across the PP's social media channels, uses artificial intelligence to simulate the voices and likenesses of figures associated with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party.

The clip features an AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez, Sánchez's wife, discussing her university appointment. It also includes a deepfake of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero referencing hidden jewellery. Both segments allude to ongoing investigations, though both individuals have denied wrongdoing. Former Socialist Leire Díez, whose likeness also appeared in the ad, filed a court complaint on Friday seeking immediate removal of the video. She accused the PP of defamation and digital identity theft.

Digital transformation minister Óscar López criticized the move during a TVE interview. "It's telling people a colossal lie, and for a party to do it on its official accounts seems intolerable to me," he stated. López pointed out that the AI label on the clip was displayed in tiny, nearly transparent text at the bottom, warning that viewers unfamiliar with the technology might mistake the footage for genuine video.

Legal analysis suggests the PP is in a defensible position. Nine legal experts consulted by El País agreed the video was likely not illegal because it was labeled as AI-generated and maintained a satirical tone. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, noted that legality is distinct from ethical appropriateness. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, argued that the context made it clear the figures were not actually speaking.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain's National University for Distance Education, called the use of deepfakes by a party aiming to revitalise democracy "regrettable." He described the video as crossing a "red line" and characterized the act of placing words in others' mouths as disinformation. The PP dismissed these criticisms through figure Borja Sémper, who argued that the video's purpose was to highlight Socialist hypocrisy rather than deceive viewers about reality.

The controversy mirrors trends in the United States, where a Wesleyan University report identified over 200 AI-generated ads for the upcoming midterms. Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, reported that spending on such ads in the 2024 cycle was under $50,000, with many current examples lacking disclaimers. In Spain, most polls indicate the PP will win the November 29 election but will require support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.