Spanish Opposition Uses AI to Create Deepfake of Prime Minister's Wife

Spain’s conservative People's Party released a political advertisement this week that used artificial intelligence to imitate the voices and faces of key figures in the ruling Socialist party. The clip features a deepfake of Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, discussing her university appointment. The video also includes a generated likeness of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In the advert, these figures appear to confess to soliciting prostitutes and accepting kickbacks. Both Gómez and Zapatero have denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing investigations referenced by the ad.

The video was shared on the party's social media channels and accumulated nearly two million views by Friday. The Socialist party responded swiftly to the release. Óscar López, the digital transformation minister, criticized the clip during an interview with broadcaster TVE. He described the video as a colossal lie told by a party on its official accounts. López pointed out that the text indicating the use of AI appeared at the bottom of the screen in small, nearly transparent letters. He warned that viewers unfamiliar with the technology might mistake the generated imagery for reality.

Leire Díez, a former Socialist party member whose image was used in the video, filed a court complaint against the People's Party on Friday. She requested the immediate removal of the advertisement. Díez alleged that the party committed defamation and digital identity theft. The video used her likeness to suggest she worked to undermine the judiciary and law enforcement for the benefit of the Socialists.

Legal experts consulted by El País largely agreed that the video was not illegal. Most of the nine specialists cited stated that the clip was labeled as AI-generated and maintained a satirical tone. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, said the context made it clear that the figures did not actually speak those lines. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, noted that legality is distinct from questions of ethics or political appropriateness.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain's National University for Distance Education, argued that the use of deepfakes by a party claiming to revitalise democracy was regrettable. He stated that while both mainstream parties have attacked rivals' morality, this specific video crossed a red line. Olivas said that putting words in other people's mouths constitutes disinformation.

The issue is gaining attention in the United States ahead of its own midterm elections. A report from the Wesleyan Media Project identified more than 200 ads using AI in recent campaigns. Most of these were tied to Republican candidates. Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the project, noted that spending on AI-generated ads was under $50,000 in the 2024 cycle. She observed that much of the current usage lacks a disclaimer.

The People's Party has dismissed the criticism surrounding the advert. Party figure Borja Sémper stated that a problem exists only if there was malicious intent to make the characters appear real. He argued that viewers can clearly see the video uses digital tools to expose Socialist hypocrisy. Current polling indicates the People's Party is on track to win the November 29 election, though it will likely need support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.