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Opposition deepfake video sparks outrage in Spain ahead of election

A political ad from Spain’s main opposition party that used a deepfake video of the prime minister’s wife has sparked outrage and set off a wider debate on AI, as the deeply polarised country gears up for general elections next month. Launched this week across the social media channels of the conservative People’s party (PP), the video used artificial intelligence to manipulate the likenesses of various people linked to Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party and appeared to show them admitting to acts such as solicitin…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceJournalismTRV-2026-2212· cite & verify
Opposition deepfake video sparks outrage in Spain ahead of election

In brief

Spain's main opposition People's party released a campaign video on its social channels that used AI to imitate people linked to the Socialist party, including the prime minister's wife, and made them appear to admit to misconduct. By Friday it had nearly 2m views, and a digital minister called it a colossal lie.

The case matters because it tests where satire ends and disinformation begins in an election campaign. Legal experts consulted by El País mostly judged the video not illegal, yet ethical and political concerns remain, and the court complaint's outcome is not known from the article.

Main points

  1. The video appeared to show Socialist-linked figures admitting to acts such as soliciting prostitutes and taking kickbacks, referencing investigations in which Gómez and Zapatero deny wrongdoing.
  2. The AI disclosure was shown in tiny, nearly transparent font at the bottom of the video.
  3. Leire Díez filed a court complaint alleging defamation and digital identity theft and asked for the ad to be taken down.
  4. A majority of nine legal experts consulted by El País considered the video lawful because it was labelled AI-generated and satirical in tone.
  5. A Wesleyan Media Project report found more than 200 AI-enhanced political ads ahead of US midterms, mostly tied to Republicans.

The problem

An opposition party's official campaign ad used AI-manipulated likenesses of Socialist-linked figures, drawing a defamation complaint and warnings that viewers unfamiliar with AI could mistake it for reality.

The rundown

The People's party ad drew on ongoing investigations involving Begoña Gómez and Zapatero, who have denied wrongdoing, putting invented admissions in the mouths of AI versions of them. Óscar López said it seemed intolerable for a party to do this on official accounts.

Legal opinion was divided in emphasis. Íñigo Navarro said everyone knows those people did not say those things, while Juan Antonio Lascuraín said legality is separate from whether the video is ethically and politically appropriate. José Javier Olivas called it a red line for campaigns.

The PP's Borja Sémper rejected the criticism, saying there was no malicious intent to make people believe the characters were real. The article also notes that AI political ads are growing in the US, where Erika Franklin Fowler said much AI use goes undisclosed, compared with under $50,000 of such spending in 2024.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-10-23

The debate