FAIL · AI INCIDENT TRACKER

wire / 2026-10-22-f273

Partido Popular deepfake video shows PSOE figures falsely confessing to crimes in Spain

October 22, 2026 · ESP INCIDENT REPUTATIONALSAFETY

A governing-class political party produced the deepfake itself, which saves everyone the trouble of tracing it back to an anonymous account.

The facts

The Partido Popular (PP) used AI to create a deepfake video featuring PSOE figures, including Begoña Gómez and José Luis Ábalos, falsely confessing to crimes. The video caused reputational harm, prompted legal threats from PSOE, and sparked debate about AI's misuse in political communication in Spain.