Viral AI ad featuring PM's wife fuels pre-election fight

Voters in Spain are facing a new layer of confusion in their daily media consumption as an artificial intelligence video imitating the prime minister’s wife racks up millions of views. The clip, released by the conservative People’s Party, features a digital replica of Begoña Gómez speaking about her university appointment. This visual addition to the campaign trail has intensified scrutiny on how technology is reshaping political messaging just weeks before the next general election.

The People’s Party published the advertisement on its social media platforms this week. The video uses deepfake technology to manipulate the faces of several figures associated with Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party. In the footage, these individuals appear to confess to various misdeeds. One segment shows the AI-generated Gómez discussing how her spouse’s position influenced her career. Another features a deepfake of former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero claiming he hid jewelry in a safe. Both references align with current investigations, although Gómez and Zapatero have denied any wrongdoing.

By Friday, the video had accumulated nearly two million views. The Socialist party reacted swiftly to the digital rollout. Óscar López, the minister for digital transformation, told the broadcaster TVE that the party was telling people a colossal lie. He criticized the official accounts for the release and pointed out that the AI label was located at the bottom of the screen in tiny, nearly transparent text. He warned that viewers unfamiliar with artificial intelligence might mistake the digital images for real people.

Leire Díez, a former member of the Socialist party whose likeness appeared in the spot, filed a court complaint against the People’s Party on Friday. She requested the immediate removal of the advertisement. Díez accused the opposition of 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 colleagues.

Legal experts are generally siding with the opposition party. Most of the nine specialists consulted by El País agreed the video was not illegal. They cited the AI label and the satirical tone of the piece as key factors. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean at Madrid’s Comillas Pontifical University, argued that the context makes it clear the people did not actually say those things. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor, noted that legality is separate from political appropriateness.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor studying populism and AI biases, called the move regrettable for a party claiming to revitalise democracy. He stated that the video crossed a red line by putting words in other people’s mouths. He classified the tactic as disinformation. In the United States, a similar trend is emerging ahead of midterm elections. A Wesleyan University report identified over 200 AI-generated ads, most tied to Republicans. Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the research group, noted that much of this current use lacks a disclaimer.

The People’s Party has dismissed the criticism. Party figure Borja Sémper stated that a problem exists only if there was malicious intent to make people believe the characters were real. He argued that viewers can see the video uses digital tools to highlight Socialist hypocrisy. Most polls suggest the People’s Party will win the election on 29 November but will need support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.