Argentine Justice Investigates AI-Generated Deepfakes Targeting 2025 Election Candidates
Argentine electoral authorities opened two investigations into AI-generated deepfake videos of political figures Mauricio Macri and Jorge Taiana that circulated on social media during the 2025 legislative elections. The fake videos falsely showed the candidates announcing campaign withdrawals and endorsing rival parties, raising concerns about potential election interference through digital misinformation.
What happened
During the 2025 Argentine legislative elections, the Electoral Justice opened two investigations into AI-generated deepfake videos targeting political figures. One video falsely showed Jorge Taiana, a candidate for Fuerza Patria, announcing his withdrawal from the election and referencing an alleged drug trafficking investigation, while calling voters to support the Frente de Izquierda.
The second video falsely depicted Mauricio Macri stating that Javier Milei 'broke all agreements' and calling voters to support Provincias Unidas, concluding with the phrase 'Argentina needs balance, not improvisation.' Both videos circulated on social media beginning Saturday night during election weekend.
Reported impact
Electoral authorities expressed concern that the deepfakes were created with the intent to spread disinformation during the campaign and could constitute a 'violation of norms governing campaign veto and digital political propaganda.' Judicial sources confirmed that computer forensics experts were analyzing both videos to trace their origin and identify the accounts that initiated their distribution.
Index analysis
This incident follows a similar case from May 2025 during Buenos Aires legislative elections, when a deepfake video showed Macri withdrawing Silvia Lospennato's candidacy. The Electoral Justice had previously issued a warning about the use of artificial intelligence in political campaigns, cautioning that 'deepfakes' could alter voting behavior.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.