Cannes Lions Revokes DM9 Awards for AI-Manipulated Campaign Videos
Advertising agency DM9 had three Cannes Lions awards revoked after its presentation videos for client campaigns were found to contain AI-manipulated footage, including edited segments from a U.S. Senator's TED Talk and a CNN Brasil report. The incident prompted the festival to implement new safeguards requiring disclosure of AI use and specialist review of submissions.
What happened
On 27 June 2025, Cannes Lions announced it had revoked a Grand Prix award won by Brazilian advertising agency DM9 for a Consul campaign after finding the presentation video had been manipulated using artificial intelligence.
The video contained edited segments from a TED Talk by U.S. Senator DeAndrea Salvador and a CNN Brasil report. DM9 voluntarily withdrew two additional winning campaigns for OKA Biotech and Urihi Yanomami after determining their presentation videos also did not meet the required standard for legitimacy and veracity.
Reported impact
The incident sparked debate within the Brazilian advertising industry about ethical boundaries in AI use, with professionals reporting reputational damage and questioning the industry's integrity in the international market.
Index analysis
Cannes Lions announced a series of measures to prevent future manipulation, including mandatory disclosure of AI use in submissions, a code of conduct for all participating organizations, and review of entries by AI and ethics specialists.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.