Spanish Election: AI Ad Controversy

A court complaint against Spain’s People's Party (PP) was filed on Friday. Leire Díez, a former member of the Socialist party, sued the PP for defamation and digital identity theft. She asked a judge to remove the controversial advert immediately.

The PP released the video on its official social media channels earlier this week. The clip uses artificial intelligence to mimic the voices and faces of figures associated with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party. It portrays them confessing to various acts, including soliciting prostitutes and accepting kickbacks.

One segment features an AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez, Sánchez’s wife. In the clip, she discusses obtaining a university position due to her husband’s political role. Another segment shows a deepfake of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. He speaks about hiding jewelry in a safe. Both Gómez and Zapatero have denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing investigations referenced by the ad.

The video gained nearly 2 million views by Friday. Óscar López, the minister for digital transformation, criticized the tactic. He told broadcaster TVE that the party was telling people a colossal lie. López pointed out that the AI label appeared in tiny, nearly transparent text at the bottom of the screen. He warned that viewers unfamiliar with the technology could easily mistake the clip for reality.

Legal analysis suggests the PP is in a strong position. El País consulted nine legal experts. Most agreed the video is not illegal because it is labeled as AI-generated and maintains a satirical tone. Íñigo Navarro, a former dean at Madrid’s Comillas Pontifical University, stated that the context makes it clear the figures did not actually say those things. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor, noted that legality is distinct from political appropriateness.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain’s National University for Distance Education, called the move regrettable. He said it crossed a red line for a party claiming to want to revitalise democracy. Olivas argued that putting words in others' mouths qualifies as disinformation, even if both mainstream parties have been attacking their rivals' morality.

The PP has dismissed the criticism. Party figure Borja Sémper said a problem only exists if there was malicious intent to make people believe the characters were real. He argued that the video simply uses digital tools to highlight Socialist hypocrisy. Most polls indicate the PP will win the general election on November 29, though it will likely need support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.