AI-Generated Image Falsely Links Shakira to Colombian Political Campaign
An AI-generated image falsely depicted Colombian singer Shakira endorsing the Pacto Histórico coalition and its presidential candidates Iván Cepeda and Aida Quilcué during the 2026 Colombian election campaign. Shakira publicly denied the endorsement and the manipulated image was removed from social media platforms.
What happened
A manipulated image created with artificial intelligence circulated on social media showing Shakira positioned between leftist presidential candidate Iván Cepeda and his running mate Aida Quilcué, promoting the Colombian coalition Pacto Histórico.
The false campaign material included the message 'Wolfpack with Pacto Histórico' and quoted Shakira's name to promote voting, claiming she supported the coalition's positions on education and social causes.
Reported impact
Shakira issued an official statement denying the endorsement, declaring 'The images that circulate of me supporting presidential candidates are false. I do not endorse any candidate, nor have I authorized the use of my image in any campaign.'
The fabricated image was removed from digital platforms following Shakira's complaint and public denial of support for any candidate in the Colombian presidential election.
Index analysis
The incident demonstrates the vulnerability of public figures to AI-generated deepfake imagery used in political manipulation and unauthorized endorsement fraud during election cycles.
The false imagery was designed to leverage Shakira's international prominence and established philanthropic work on education and social development to create fraudulent political credibility.
Governance controls
Shakira's team issued a swift public denial and took corrective action to dissociate her from the false campaign, emphasizing her historical neutrality in electoral matters and commitment to Colombian democracy.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.