Deepfake video falsely shows Irish presidential candidate withdrawing from race
A deepfake video created with AI appeared on social media in October 2025 showing Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly falsely announcing her withdrawal from the election. The video also contained altered footage claiming the election was cancelled. Connolly's campaign reported the video to platforms and filed a complaint with the Electoral Commission.
What happened
A deepfake video appeared online on Tuesday 21 October 2025 designed to mimic an RTΓ News broadcast. The video showed an AI-generated version of Catherine Connolly announcing she was withdrawing from the Irish presidential election scheduled for Friday 24 October, followed by altered footage of an RTΓ reporter stating the election was cancelled and her opponent Heather Humphreys would be appointed automatically.
The video circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms. Connolly's campaign team reported the video to the platforms where it appeared and requested immediate removal with clear labelling as fake. A formal complaint was lodged with the Electoral Commission.
Reported impact
Connolly called the video "a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy". The campaign stated that disinformation has no place in Irish public life and urged members of the public to verify content before sharing.
Index analysis
Alan Smeaton, emeritus professor of computing at Dublin City University and member of the Irish government's AI Advisory Council, identified "minuscule clues" that revealed the video's AI origins. These included slight over-pronunciations in the lips and mouths of both the AI-generated Connolly and RTΓ reporter, and a slight aura around the news reporter in one shot, likely caused by the dynamic background.
Governance controls
Connolly's campaign called on social media companies to apply clear labels to AI-generated media and to fully cooperate with authorities by preserving metadata and assisting investigations to identify those responsible for producing and distributing the material.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.