Spanish Deepfake Ad: Opposition Uses AI to Target PM's Wife

Spain's conservative opposition launched a deepfake political advertisement this week that imitates the voice and likeness of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife, triggering immediate backlash ahead of next month's general election.

The People's Party (PP) released the clip on social media channels. The AI-generated video features several figures connected to the ruling Socialist party. It depicts them confessing to soliciting prostitutes and accepting kickbacks. One segment shows an AI version of Begoña Gómez, Sánchez's wife, discussing how she obtained a university position due to her husband's office. Another segment features former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero talking about hiding jewelry in a safe. Both individuals have denied wrongdoing in ongoing investigations.

By Friday, the video had accumulated nearly 2 million views. Socialist digital transformation minister Óscar López criticized the ad during an interview on TVE. He called it a colossal lie and argued that the party's use of official channels made the deception intolerable. López pointed out that the AI label appeared in tiny, nearly transparent text at the bottom of the screen, making it easy for viewers unfamiliar with the technology to mistake the clip for reality.

Leire Díez, a former Socialist party member whose image was used in the video, filed a court complaint against the PP on Friday. She requested the immediate removal of the advertisement. Díez accused the party of defamation and digital identity theft, claiming the video implied she worked to undermine the judiciary and law enforcement to benefit her former party.

Legal experts generally side with the PP. Most of the nine legal specialists consulted by the newspaper El País 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 context makes it clear the figures did not actually say those things. Juan Antonio Lascuraín, a criminal law professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, noted that legality is distinct from ethical appropriateness.

José Javier Olivas, an associate professor at Spain's National University for Distance Education, described the move as regrettable for a party claiming to revitalise democracy. He said the video crossed a red line by putting words in other people's mouths, a tactic he classified as disinformation. This issue mirrors trends in the United States, where a Wesleyan University report identified more than 200 AI-generated ads for next month's midterms, most tied to Republicans. Co-director Erika Franklin Fowler noted that much of this current usage lacks a disclaimer.

The PP has dismissed the criticism. Party figure Borja Sémper stated that a problem exists only if there is malicious intent to deceive viewers into thinking the characters are real. He argued that the video highlights Socialist hypocrisy using digital tools. Most polls indicate the PP will win the election on November 29 but will require support from the far-right Vox party to form a government.