AI-generated misinformation targets Hungarian opposition ahead of 2026 elections
Backers of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have deployed AI-generated deepfake videos and synthetic media to target opposition leader Peter Magyar ahead of the 2026 elections, reportedly spending over 1.5 million euros on Facebook and YouTube since June 2025. The content included inadequately labelled deepfakes and videos of non-existent people, with experts warning the technology could influence public opinion.
What happened
The National Resistance Movement (NEM), which backs Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party, spent over 1.5 million euros since June 15 on Facebook and YouTube to promote AI-generated content, more than any other political organisation in the EU according to platform data.
NEM's campaign included unlabelled or inadequately labelled deepfake videos targeting opposition leader Peter Magyar, some containing non-existent people manipulated to express outrage at his alleged policy plans.
An AI-generated video of Hungarian soldiers returning home in caskets was advertised on Facebook and broadcast on state TV in June during the final days of a mail-in ballot on Ukraine's EU accession bid.
Reported impact
Experts warned that AI content capable of generating emotional reactions could sway public opinion ahead of the April 2026 elections.
AFP found multiple instances of Orban and his allies posting realistically appearing videos and pictures created with AI without clearly labelling them as such.
Index analysis
The campaign preceded EU regulations requiring political ads to be clearly labelled with sponsorship information and restricting personally targeted ads, which came into force in early October 2025.
Governance controls
The government insists that using AI content is acceptable as long as it is properly labelled as artificially generated.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.