AI-Generated Videos Depict Macri Endorsing Adorni and Lospennato Withdrawing in Buenos Aires Election
Deepfake videos spread on social media hours before Buenos Aires legislative elections showed AI-generated versions of former President Mauricio Macri endorsing presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni and city lawmaker candidate Silvia Lospennato withdrawing from the race. Macri, Lospennato, and the PRO party denounced the videos as electoral fraud and called for their removal, with prosecutors requesting X eliminate the content and preserve account information.
What happened
Hours before the Buenos Aires City legislative elections, deepfake videos spread on social media platform X showing AI-generated versions of former President Mauricio Macri and city lawmaker candidate Silvia Lospennato. In one video, a fake Macri endorsed presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni and said he was removing Lospennato from the PRO list to prevent Kirchnerism from winning. A second video depicted a fake Lospennato announcing her withdrawal and calling voters to support Adorni.
The videos were spread by accounts linked to La Libertad Avanza, including accounts managed by streamer Daniel Parisini (known as 'Gordo Dan') and attributed to presidential advisor Santiago Caputo. According to Macri, the videos were published by people from the closest circle of La Libertad Avanza.
Reported impact
Macri denounced the videos as an attempt at electoral fraud aimed at confusing the electorate. Lospennato accused La Libertad Avanza of committing an electoral crime and sharing fake AI-generated videos from major accounts to confuse voters.
The General Prosecutors' Office sent a request to X offices in San Francisco to immediately eliminate the videos on the grounds that they contained false information with direct impact on the electoral process, violating norms and citizens' right to cast an informed vote.
Index analysis
The videos were detected as crude AI-generated recreations that spread within hours of the election. Macri stated in his own social media statement that the videos showed credible recreations of him making statements he never made about his party's list.
Governance controls
The General Prosecutors' Office requested X to preserve IP addresses and information useful for potential future judicial complaints. Lospennato and Macri condemned the videos in a press conference and called for legal action. PRO filed a complaint with the electoral tribunal alleging a dirty campaign tactic to induce votes through deception in favor of Adorni.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.