Deepfake video of Italian political leaders circulated on social media
A deepfake video showing Italian political leaders Elly Schlein and Roberto Vannacci dining together circulated on social media in August 2026. The video was created using generative AI by content creator Leonardo Pippa and was denounced as false by Schlein, who warned of the technology's risks to democracy and electoral integrity.
What happened
A deepfake video circulated on social media showing Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party, and Roberto Vannacci, former general and leader of Futuro Nazionale, dining together and conversing. The caption claimed they were 'surprised chatting and laughing at a dinner between politicians: the unexpected program.' The video was entirely generated using artificial intelligence.
Leonardo Pippa, an AI content creator with approximately 50,000 social media followers, published the video and described using AI technology to generate it in a few hours from his home.
Reported impact
Schlein stated the meeting and dinner never occurred and they had never met. She emphasized the risks such deepfakes pose to democracies, noting the technology can show a political opponent pronouncing phrases never spoken, committing crimes never committed, or meeting people never encountered.
Schlein called on political parties to commit to not using AI to attribute false facts or statements to opponents, and urged social media platforms to assume responsibility for promptly removing deepfakes. She warned the technology could distort electoral campaigns, condition public opinion, enable external interference, and bring disinformation to an unprecedented scale.
Index analysis
The video's visual quality was described as appearing authentic and similar to the original individuals, making it difficult to distinguish from genuine footage at first glance.
Governance controls
Schlein launched an appeal to all political forces, acknowledged by Premier Meloni, for responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence. She announced work on a text to propose to other political forces seeking a joint commitment to protect democracy.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.