People's Party Faces Backlash Over AI Ad Imitating Prime Minister's Wife

Spain's main opposition party released a political advertisement this week that used artificial intelligence to mimic the voices and faces of prominent Socialist figures, triggering a sharp public reaction ahead of next month's general election.

The conservative People's Party (PP) posted the video to its social media platforms. The clip employed deepfake technology to manipulate the likenesses of several individuals associated with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's party. The edited footage appeared to show these figures confessing to various transgressions, including soliciting prostitutes and accepting financial kickbacks.

By Friday, the advertisement had accumulated nearly 2 million views. Digital transformation minister Óscar López criticized the move during an interview with broadcaster TVE. He stated, "It's telling people a colossal lie, and for a party to do it on its official accounts seems intolerable to me." López pointed out that the label indicating AI generation appeared in tiny, nearly transparent text at the bottom of the screen, creating a risk for viewers unfamiliar with the technology.

Leire Díez, a former member of the Socialist party whose image was included in the spot, filed a court complaint against the PP on Friday. She requested the immediate removal of the advert. Díez accused the party of defamation and digital identity theft, arguing that her likeness was used to imply she had worked to undermine the judiciary and law enforcement for the benefit of the Socialists.

Legal experts consulted by El País generally favored the PP's position. Most of the nine specialists agreed that the video was not illegal because it carried an AI label and maintained a satirical tone. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, noted that the context made it clear to most viewers that the figures did not actually speak those words. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, distinguished between legality and ethical appropriateness.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain's National University for Distance Education, described the use of deepfakes by a party claiming to want to revitalize democracy as regrettable. He observed that both mainstream parties have been attacking their rivals' morality but argued that this specific video crossed a "red line." Olivas classified the act of putting words into other people's mouths as a form of disinformation.

The video features an AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez, Sánchez's wife, discussing how she obtained a university post due to her husband's position. It also includes a deepfake of former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero speaking about hiding jewelry in a safe. Both references point to ongoing investigations, and both individuals have denied wrongdoing.

The PP dismissed the criticism through party figure Borja Sémper. He argued that a problem would only exist if there were malicious intent to make viewers believe the characters were real. Sémper maintained that the video used digital tools to highlight Socialist hypocrisy. Most current polls suggest the PP will win the election on 29 November, though it will likely need support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.

Similar trends are emerging in the United States ahead of its midterm elections. A recent report from a Wesleyan University research group identified more than 200 ads using AI, most tied to Republicans. Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, noted that less than $50,000 was spent on AI-generated ads in the 2024 cycle. She added that much of the current usage carries no disclaimer.