What happened

Shortly before polls opened in Buenos Aires, an AI-generated video appeared online showing Macri - who leads the opposition PRO party - seemingly backing President Javier Milei’s candidate, Manuel Adorni. 

Another fake AI video purported to show Macri announcing that his party was withdrawing its candidate, Silvia Lospennato. The party did not make any such announcement. 

The videos were widely circulated by pro-government accounts on X (formerly Twitter), prompting  legal action from the PRO party, which accused Milei’s La Libertad Avanza (LLA) of benefiting from the deception.

The electoral court intervened, labeling the incident an attempt at digital fraud. 

Macri called the fracas “a direct attack on democracy,” while experts warned that such deepfakes could mislead voters, undermine trust in the electoral process, and potentially alter election outcomes.

Why it happened

The proliferation of cheap, accessible generative AI tools has made it easier for political actors and their supporters to create convincing fake videos to influence public opinion. 

Argentina’s polarised political climate has seen both major parties use AI-generated content to attack rivals, but this incident marked a new level of sophistication and potential harm. 

The lack of robust legal safeguards and slow response from social media platforms enabled the rapid spread of the deepfake.