Spanish opposition criticised over AI campaign
A video featuring impersonated politicians and associates of the prime minister fuels debate over political deepfakes.
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Spain’s opposition Partido Popular has circulated an artificially generated campaign video in which people close to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appear to confess to wrongdoing. The video drew criticism from the governing party and a legal complaint shortly before the election.
The video digitally imitates the faces and voices of several people associated with the socialist party. They appear to make statements about alleged conflicts of interest and other wrongdoing. The footage is not genuine recordings of the people concerned.
The Partido Popular distributed the video. According to The Guardian, it included a digital imitation of Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The Guardian said the video states at the bottom that artificial intelligence was used, but critics consider the notice barely visible.
Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Óscar López, described the use of the images as dangerous, according to the British newspaper. His objection is that viewers could take the video to be genuine despite the notice. The socialist PSOE party called it a misleading campaign.
One of the people whose likeness was used in the video, Leire Díez, filed a legal complaint on Friday, according to The Guardian. She is asking the court to have the video removed and is accusing the PP, among other things, of damaging her reputation and misusing her digital identity.
The PP defends the video as political satire. Party spokesman Borja Sémper said there would be no problem if it were clear that the people were not actually speaking. He said the aim was to expose the alleged hypocrisy of the socialist party.
The issue arises in the run-up to Spain’s parliamentary election on 29 November. The governing party has criticised the opposition party’s video.
The case also shows that the legal assessment does not automatically coincide with the political criticism. According to the lawyers cited by The Guardian, the context of satire may offer protection, but using real faces and invented statements remains controversial. It is also unclear whether platforms will remove the video.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The PP distributed a political video made with AI.
- The video uses imitated faces and voices of people who did not actually make these statements.
- The video drew criticism from the PSOE and a legal complaint was filed.
Left
Arguments Political parties should not mislead citizens with synthetic images of real people. AI satire with minimal warnings can damage reputations and cause elections to focus even more on insinuations rather than verifiable facts.
Values Protection against disinformation, public trust and responsible use of power.
Consequences Without clear rules, parties may run increasingly aggressive campaigns, while those affected may later find it difficult to restore their reputations.
Centre
Arguments Political satire and freedom of expression must remain possible, but recognisable AI imitations require clear labelling, transparent rules and a swift complaints procedure.
Values Proportionality, legal certainty and a level playing field for parties.
Consequences A workable system can limit deception without banning political criticism or satire altogether.
Right
Arguments Voters are not helpless, and political parties should be allowed to run hard-hitting campaigns as long as they do not literally claim that the images are real. Overly broad restrictions could protect established parties from harsh criticism.
Values Freedom of political communication, voter responsibility and government restraint.
Consequences A ban could lead to censorship, but unclear or misleading labels could also further undermine trust in political campaigns.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s central claims are confirmed by reporting from The Guardian and Diário de Notícias. Legal consequences and electoral effects are presented as uncertain or unknown.
- confirmed The Partido Popular distributed an AI video featuring imitations of people close to Pedro Sánchez. — Confirmed by The Guardian and Diário de Notícias. source
- confirmed The video prompted criticism from Spain’s governing party and Minister Óscar López. — The Guardian describes López’s and the PSOE’s responses. source
- confirmed Leire Díez filed a legal complaint. — Reported by The Guardian. source
- confirmed Spain’s parliamentary election is scheduled for 29 November. — Mentioned in the cited reporting. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the PP distributed the AI video and that it prompted political and legal criticism. It has not been established how a judge will assess the complaint or what effect the video will have on the election.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „deepfake spanje”
- Het Parool — „deepfake spanje”
- Trouw — „deepfake spanje”