Skip to content
Submit incident
AII-1001-57237
Well documentedThree or more independent publishers report the core facts.

AI-generated deepfake videos of deceased celebrities published online

AI-generated deepfake videos of deceased celebrities including Pope John Paul II, Saddam Hussein and Queen Elizabeth II have been published online, reportedly causing distress and violating the rights of the deceased and their families.

22 December 2025 · AI video generation service · Misinformation and synthetic media
22 December 2025

Drafted by Raidu Incident Detection, an automated system.

AII-1001-572375 sources ↓
Quick facts
Category
Misinformation and synthetic media
Country
France
Source
Orange Actualités
Date
22 December 2025
Drafted by
Raidu Incident Detection

What happened

AI-generated deepfake videos of deceased public figures including Jean-Paul II, Saddam Hussein, and Queen Elizabeth II have been created and published online.

The videos show the deceased individuals performing implausible actions, such as Pope John Paul II skateboarding and Queen Elizabeth II wrestling.

Reported impact

The videos have caused distress and violated the rights of the deceased individuals and their families.

Classification

Category
Misinformation and synthetic media
Industry
Media, social platforms and marketing
Country
France
Harm status
Actual harm
Intent
Unknown
Timing
Unknown
Harm types
Reputational, Human or fundamental rights
Failure modes
Deepfake video
AI systems
AI deepfake video generation system

Sources and evidence

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

Orange Actualités
Les résurrections de personnalités disparues via l'IA amusent et agacent : Actualités - Orange
22 December 2025
Yahoo actualités
Les résurrections de personnalités disparues via l'IA amusent et agacent
22 December 2025
LaProvence.com
Élisabeth II, Saddam Hussein, Jean-Paul II... des vidéos hyperréalistes de célébrités décédées, via l'IA
22 December 2025
Le Matin
Web: Les résurrections de personnalités disparues via l'IA agacent
22 December 2025
Sudinfo.be
Le pape Jean-Paul II s'essaie au skateboard, la reine Elisabeth II fait du catch... : les résurrections de personnalités disparues via l'IA amusent et agacent (vidéo)
22 December 2025