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AII-1002-54829
ReportedReported by fewer than three independent publishers, with no official finding.

AI-generated deepfake video of Meloni and Musk kissing goes viral in Italy

An AI-generated video showing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Tesla CEO Elon Musk kissing became viral in Italy following their meeting at Notre-Dame's reopening in Paris. The deepfake was created after months of media speculation about their relationship, which both have downplayed.

10 December 2024 Β· Giorgia Meloni Β· Misinformation and synthetic media
10 December 2024

Drafted by Raidu Incident Detection, an automated system.

AII-1002-548292 sources ↓
Quick facts
Category
Misinformation and synthetic media
Country
Italy
Source
Berliner Zeitung
Date
10 December 2024
Drafted by
Raidu Incident Detection

What happened

An AI-generated video showing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Tesla CEO Elon Musk kissing passionately went viral in Italy. The video was created after Meloni and Musk met at the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on a Saturday, with a Parisian palace as the video's background.

Reported impact

The deepfake video sparked an ethics debate regarding synthetic media and its potential to spread misleading content about public figures. Media outlets had repeatedly speculated about a romantic relationship between Meloni and Musk following their interactions at public events.

Classification

Category
Misinformation and synthetic media
Industry
Media, social platforms and marketing
Country
Italy
Harm status
Potential harm
Intent
Unknown
Timing
Unknown
Harm types
Reputational, Public interest
Harmed
General public
Failure modes
Deepfake video

Sources and evidence

This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.

Berliner Zeitung
Giorgia Meloni und Elon Musk knutschen in Paris? Das steckt hinter dem viralen KI-Video
10 December 2024
der Standard
KI-Video mit Kuss von Meloni und Musk ging in Italien viral
10 December 2024
May 2026AI-generated deepfake images of Italian PM Meloni circulate onlineWell documentedMisinformation and synthetic mediaThe Guardianokdiario.comANSA.it+3Apr 2026French authorities probe X over algorithm interference and harmful contentUnder investigationMisinformation and synthetic mediaDeadlineYahooFeb 2026French authorities raid X's Paris office over AI content and GrokUnder investigationMisinformation and synthetic mediafajar.co.idhttps://ototekno.okezone.com/Tempo Media+5Feb 2026French authorities investigate X and Grok AI for harmful content and political interferenceUnder investigationMisinformation and synthetic mediacafef.vnTUOI TRE ONLINEBΓ‘o CΓ΄ng an nhΓ’n dΓ’n Δ‘iện tα»­+4Jan 2026AI-Generated Videos Spread Misinformation About Maduro's Capture on XReportedMisinformation and synthetic mediacnbc.comfuturism.com