Deepfake Video Falsely Claims Luciano Hang Supports Lula in 2026 Election
A deepfake video posted on TikTok used AI to manipulate audio of businessman Luciano Hang to falsely claim he supports Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2026 Brazilian presidential election. The original video, about Havan's 40th anniversary, was genuine, but the audio was replaced with fabricated speech using artificial intelligence.
What happened
A video posted on TikTok used artificial intelligence to manipulate the audio of Luciano Hang, co-founder and owner of Havan, to falsely suggest he supports Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2026 Brazilian elections.
The original video, about Havan's 40th anniversary, was genuine footage in which Hang discussed the 'secret to success' of his business and never mentioned Lula or the 2026 elections. The body movements and facial expressions remained identical in the manipulated version, but the audio was replaced with synthesized speech using AI voice cloning technology.
Although the post carried a label stating it was 'marked by creator as generated by AI,' readers reported the content for fact-checking, indicating some people may have believed in its authenticity.
Reported impact
The deepfake was published on TikTok and spread to readers who questioned its authenticity, suggesting the false claim had potential to mislead the public during an election period.
Index analysis
Projeto Comprova, a fact-checking initiative, compared the original video from Hang's official TikTok profile with the manipulated version and confirmed that the audio had been synthesized to create false statements.
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.