{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-07T02:55:43.752Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"election","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":5,"coverage":{"cases":5,"countries":3,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":0,"coreRelations":5,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-ireland-ai-deepfake-news-video-falsely-showed-presidential-candidate-withdrawing-complaint-to-electoral-commission","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'The video appeared online on Tuesday night and showed an AI version of Connolly appearing to announce her withdrawal from Friday's election.'; 'The video appeared online on Tuesday night and mimicked an RTÉ news report'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'AI-generated footage then shows Ms Connolly purporting to say: “It is with great regret that I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy and the ending of my campaign.”'; 'Well, simply put, Friday’s election is now cancelled.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The video, which appeared last night on social media and mimicked an RTÉ Nine O’Clock News broadcast, purported to show presenter Sharon Ní Bheoláin announcing Connolly’s withdrawal, followed by AI-generated footage of Connolly appearing to confirm it herself.'; 'The fake segment later cut to fabricated clips of RTÉ political correspondent Paul Cunningham claiming the election had been cancelled and that Heather Humphreys would become president by default.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'It shows AI-generated clips of RTÉ presenter Sharon Ní Bheoláin, Ms Connolly, and RTÉ political correspondent Paul Cunningham.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A video mimicking an RTÉ News bulletin appeared on social media on the night of Tuesday 21 October 2025, showing a likeness of RTÉ presenter Sharon Ní Bheoláin announcing Catherine Connolly's withdrawal from the presidential election, footage of Connolly appearing to confirm it, and a likeness of the RTÉ political correspondent saying the election was cancelled; each outlet describes the figures or footage as AI-generated.","causal_attribution":"Description of the video by four outlets that each describe its content; the video itself was not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Alan Smeaton, emeritus professor of computing at Dublin City University and a member of the Irish government's AI Advisory Council, told BBC Verify there were some \"minuscule clues\" that gave the video away.'; '\"There are slight over-pronunciations in the lips and mouths by both the Catherine Connolly and the RTÉ reporter representations.'; '\"There is a slight aura around the news reporter in the third shot, probably because the background is dynamic,\" he added.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Alan Smeaton, emeritus professor of computing at Dublin City University and a member of the government's AI Advisory Council, told BBC Verify that slight over-pronunciations in the lips and mouths of the Connolly and RTÉ reporter figures and a slight aura around the reporter gave the video away.","causal_attribution":"An examiner's observations of the recording as reported by BBC Verify; the basis for the AI attribution."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a statement, the Electoral Commission said it became aware of the AI-generated video on Tuesday evening.'; '“Using pre-agreed communications channels with platforms, we escalated the issue immediately to flag these videos with a request that they be urgently reviewed, and I understand that the relevant accounts have since been suspended,” a spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said.'; 'However, the spokesperson said that powers that would allow the Electoral Commission to use strong powers to compel social media firms to remove disinformation impacting elections have not yet commenced.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The Electoral Commission said it became aware of the AI-generated video on the evening of 21 October, escalated it to the platforms with a request for urgent review, and understood the accounts had been suspended; its spokesperson said its powers to compel platforms to remove election disinformation had not yet commenced.","causal_attribution":"The Electoral Commission's statement as reported by the Irish Examiner."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission over a \"malicious deep-fake\" AI video.'; 'Connolly called the video a \"disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy\".'; 'Connolly's campaign team said they have reported the video to the social media platforms it appeared on.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'“The video is a fabrication. It is a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine our democracy. I will not be distracted.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Her campaign has reported the footage to social media platforms and filed a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission, requesting its removal and clear labelling as fake.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Her campaign confirmed they had reported the video to social media platforms on which it appeared, while also lodging a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Connolly called the video a fabrication and a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine democracy, and her campaign reported it to the platforms and lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission.","causal_attribution":"Connolly's statement and her campaign's account, relayed by four outlets (one origin)."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The video was posted to an account called RTÉ News AI.'; 'It was live for almost 12 hours and had been shared nearly 200 times before it was removed.'; 'Meta, which owns Facebook, removed the RTÉ News AI account on Wednesday after being contacted by the Irish Independent.'; 'The company said it does not allow content that impersonates or falsely represents people, brands, businesses or organisations.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The video was circulated on social media platforms overnight, being seen tens of thousands of times on both Facebook and X. It has since been removed by Meta, after concerns were raised by the Electoral Commission.'; 'The video itself was first posted to Facebook by an account named RTÉ News AI, which has since been suspended. However, despite it being removed by Meta, the video can still be viewed on X.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Meta removed the Facebook account RTÉ News AI that posted the video, saying it does not allow content that impersonates or falsely represents people or organisations; the video had been live for almost 12 hours.","causal_attribution":"Meta's confirmation as reported by The Irish Times; the Irish Examiner reports the removal as following concerns raised by the Electoral Commission."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The video, created using artificial intelligence tools, was viewed more than 160,000 times on Facebook before being taken down. It has also been removed from YouTube, who also removed the channel it was uploaded to.'; 'In a statement this evening confirming that the video had been taken down, a spokesperson for YouTube said:'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"YouTube removed the video and the channel it was uploaded to.","causal_attribution":"TheJournal.ie's report of YouTube's confirmation."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“An Coimisiún have contacted the platform concerned to understand the immediate measures they have taken in response to this incident and have reminded the platform of their obligations under the EU Digital Services Act relating to protecting the integrity of elections,” a spokesman said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Coimisiún na Meán contacted the platform concerned about the measures taken and reminded it of its Digital Services Act obligations on election integrity.","causal_attribution":"The regulator's spokesman as quoted by The Irish Times."}],"effects":[{"label":"presidential candidate shown in a fabricated news video announcing a withdrawal she never made; she called it an attempt to mislead voters and complained to the Electoral Commission","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxkn504lqpo","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"bbc-news-ni"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/10/22/meta-removes-ai-video-purporting-to-show-catherine-connolly-quitting-presidential-race/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"irish-times"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.thejournal.ie/article.php?id=6851912","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"thejournal-ie"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41728776.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"irish-examiner"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life"],"unknowns":["Who made the video and which AI tool was used.","Whether the Electoral Commission complaint led to any further action, or whether the Gardaí investigated.","How many people saw the video; the outlets give different figures (almost 30,000, tens of thousands, more than 160,000).","Whether any voter was misled about the election."],"geography":{"basis":"The video concerned Ireland's presidential election, mimicked RTÉ News, and was reported to Ireland's Electoral Commission and removed by platforms at Irish authorities' request (Irish Examiner; The Irish Times). The candidate was standing for the Irish presidency. No court is involved. Where the video was made is unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IE"],"affected_person_countries":["IE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published because an examiner consulted by BBC Verify described visual signs of AI generation and the Electoral Commission called it an AI-generated video, and the depicted candidate called it a fabrication and lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission.","reviewed_on":"2026-11-02"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The video presented AI-generated likenesses of the candidate and two RTÉ journalists in a fake news bulletin announcing her withdrawal, and that depiction is what she condemned and complained about. An emeritus professor of computing who examined it told BBC Verify that over-pronounced lip and mouth movements and an aura around the reporter gave it away, and the Electoral Commission, which escalated it to the platforms, called it an AI-generated video. No source identifies the maker or the tool.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"AI video mimicking an RTÉ bulletin falsely showed Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly quitting; she complained to the Electoral Commission","summary":"On the night of Tuesday 21 October 2025, three days before Ireland's presidential election, a video mimicking an RTÉ News bulletin appeared on Facebook and other platforms in which AI-generated versions of an RTÉ presenter and of independent candidate Catherine Connolly announced her withdrawal, and an AI-generated RTÉ political correspondent said the election was cancelled. An emeritus professor of computing told BBC Verify that over-pronounced lip movements and a slight aura around the reporter gave the video away, and the Electoral Commission called it an AI-generated video and escalated it to the platforms. Connolly called the video a fabrication and a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters, said she was still a candidate and lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission. Meta removed the posting account for impersonation and YouTube removed the video and its channel; the Irish Examiner reported that it could still be viewed on X.","incidentDate":"2025-10-21","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-10-22","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI video tool used to make a fake RTÉ News bulletin showing a presidential candidate announcing her withdrawal; the maker is not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A fabricated news video that an examiner consulted by BBC Verify and the Electoral Commission described as AI-generated showed a presidential candidate announcing a withdrawal she never made; she called it a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and complained to the Electoral Commission (reported).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the presidential candidate shown announcing a withdrawal she never made, who called the video a fabrication and lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission (BBC, The Irish Times, TheJournal.ie, Irish Examiner). The two RTÉ journalists also shown are not counted because no response from them is reported; viewers and voters are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxkn504lqpo","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News NI, 22 Oct 2025: 'Disgraceful' deep-fake AI video condemned by presidential candidate","firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-02T03:03:22.850527+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-11-02T03:03:22.850527+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","election","news-impersonation","depicted-or-impersonated","electoral-commission","meta"]},{"id":"2025-uk-fact-checkers-say-video-of-tory-mp-announcing-reform-uk-defection-was-likely-ai-made","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'A video that appears to show Conservative MP George Freeman announcing his defection to Reform UK has been shared widely online.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In the widely-circulated video, the MP appeared to say \"the time for half measures is over\" and that the \"Conservative party had lost its way\" after announcing he had joined Reform'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A video that appeared to show George Freeman announcing his defection from the Conservatives to Reform UK circulated widely on social media in October 2025.","causal_attribution":"Full Fact's own viewing of the clip and the Local Democracy Reporting Service account are separate origins for the existence and content of the video."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The clip was very likely made using artificial intelligence.'; 'After looking through Mr Freeman’s social media we matched the outfit he is wearing and background in Westminster to a video he posted on YouTube in April 2020'; 'The cadence of the audio in the recent video is extremely even and the intonation sounds stiff and unnatural, which suggests it may be AI-generated. Although less likely, we can’t rule out that it has been faked in another way, for example by using an impersonator.'; 'AI also appears to have been used to make it look as though Mr Freeman is saying the words falsely attributed to him, an example of a lip-sync deepfake.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Full Fact said the clip was very likely made using AI: it matched the outfit and background to a 2020 video, found the audio cadence unnaturally even, and said AI appears to have been used to lip-sync the false words, while it could not rule out an impersonator.","causal_attribution":"The fact-checker's own analysis of the recording; a likelihood assessment, not identification of a tool."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'denouncing the video circulating on social media as \"an AI-generated deepfake\".'; '\"The video is a fabrication, created without my knowledge or consent, and uses my image and voice without permission.'; '\"I have reported this matter to the relevant authorities, and I urge anyone who sees the video to report it immediately rather than share it further.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Freeman called the video an AI-generated deepfake and a fabrication made without his knowledge or consent using his image and voice, and reported it to the authorities.","causal_attribution":"The depicted MP's own statement."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Norfolk Police released a statement to the BBC saying it was contacted on 16 October \"by the office of a Member of Parliament regarding a video circulating on social media\".'; '\"An investigation is under way into the matter, which is being treated as a potential offence under Section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (False Communications).\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Norfolk Police said it was contacted by an MP's office on 16 October 2025 and that an investigation was under way into a potential offence under section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (false communications).","causal_attribution":"Police statement quoted by the BBC."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In October, the Tory MP George Freeman found himself bombarded by messages from friends and colleagues accusing him of betrayal.'; 'Freeman contacted Meta, which owns Facebook. “They said, ‘It doesn’t breach any of our guidelines.’'; 'I didn’t understand what had happened,” he said.'; '“Then I saw the video.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Freeman told the Observer that friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal before he had seen the video, and that Meta told him it did not breach its guidelines.","causal_attribution":"The MP's own account in an interview."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'However, the person who produced it has denied supporting Reform believing \"populism is always dangerous\" and instead said the video was created to show how \"people are incapable of distinguishing fact from fiction\".'; 'The creator added they thought the suggestion creating the video would amount to a criminal offence was \"risible\".'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"An anonymous creator told the Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury the video was made to show that people cannot distinguish fact from fiction, denied supporting Reform, and called the suggestion of a criminal offence risible.","causal_attribution":"An unverified anonymous source quoted by one newspaper; the creator's quoted words do not name a tool."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He also reported the bogus video to the police and found “there’s no law against using somebody’s identity in this way”.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'He reported it, but police told him it was not illegal.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"Freeman said he found there was no law against using his identity in this way, and LBC reported that police told him the video was not illegal.","causal_attribution":"The MP's account (Observer) and LBC's unattributed summary; the police decision itself was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"MP shown in a likely AI-made video announcing a defection he had not made; colleagues accused him of betrayal","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://fullfact.org/politics/fake-video-george-freeman-mp-defection-reform-uk/","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English fact check read in full on 2026-10-31 and re-read on 2026-11-01; no translation.","independence_group":"full-fact"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62e7xz02dpo","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article read in full on 2026-10-31 and re-read on 2026-11-01; no translation.","independence_group":"ldrs-freeman-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gpejxk0jpo","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article read in full on 2026-10-31 and re-read on 2026-11-01; no translation.","independence_group":"bbc-norfolk-police-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/deepfakes-are-undermining-faith-in-politics","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article read in full on 2026-10-31 and re-read on 2026-11-01; no translation.","independence_group":"observer-interview"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.wymondhamandattleboroughmercury.co.uk/news/25555883.creator-fake-norfolk-mp-reform-defection-video-speaks/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article read in full on 2026-10-31 and re-read on 2026-11-01; no translation.","independence_group":"mercury-creator-interview"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/deepfake-videos-ai-politician-george-freeman-5HjdW4w_2/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article read in full on 2026-10-31 and re-read on 2026-11-01; no translation.","independence_group":"lbc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","public_life"],"unknowns":["Who made the video and which tool was used; the anonymous creator's account is unverified.","How widely the video was shared and whether it was removed.","The exact date the video was first posted.","The formal outcome of the police investigation beyond the reported statement that it was not illegal."],"geography":{"basis":"The video depicts the MP for Mid Norfolk announcing a change of UK party, the messages he described came from friends and colleagues, and Norfolk Police investigated (BBC, Observer). Where the video was made or first posted is not stated. No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published because a fact-checker analysed the clip and judged it very likely AI-made, and the MP shown reported it to police and described being accused of betrayal. The AI assessment is stated as Full Fact's likelihood judgement.","reviewed_on":"2026-11-01"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Full Fact analysed the clip: it matched the footage to a video the MP posted in April 2020, found the audio cadence unnaturally even and said AI appears to have been used to lip-sync the false words, so the clip was very likely made using AI; it could not rule out an impersonator. The fabricated likeness is what was published about the MP, who reported it to police and described accusations of betrayal. The tool and the maker are not identified.","status":"suspected"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Fact-checker Full Fact says a video of Tory MP George Freeman announcing a defection to Reform UK was likely AI-made; he reported it to police","summary":"In October 2025 a video spread on Facebook and X that appeared to show George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk and a former science minister, announcing that he was leaving the Conservatives to join Reform UK. Full Fact said on 20 October that the clip was very likely made using artificial intelligence: it matched his outfit and the Westminster background to a video he posted in April 2020, described the audio as stiff and unnaturally even, and said AI appeared to have been used to lip-sync the false words, while noting that an impersonator could not be ruled out. Freeman called the video an AI-generated deepfake made without his knowledge or consent and reported it to police. Norfolk Police said it was contacted on 16 October by the office of an MP about the video and opened an investigation into a potential false-communications offence. Freeman later told the Observer that friends and colleagues had sent him messages accusing him of betrayal, that Meta told him the video did not breach its guidelines, and that he found no law against the use of his identity; LBC reported in March 2026 that police told him it was not illegal. An anonymous creator told a local newspaper the video was made to show that people cannot tell fact from fiction.","incidentDate":"2025-10-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-10-18","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI tool used, according to Full Fact's analysis, to lip-sync fabricated words and audio onto 2020 footage of a UK MP","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool (suspected)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"An MP was shown in a fabricated video, assessed by Full Fact as very likely AI-made, announcing a defection he had not made; he reported it to police and said friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal (reported).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the MP shown in the video, who denounced it, reported it to police and told the Observer that friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal. Viewers and sharers are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://fullfact.org/politics/fake-video-george-freeman-mp-defection-reform-uk/","primarySourceLabel":"Full Fact, 20 October 2025: video of George Freeman MP announcing defection to Reform UK is fake","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-31T03:05:52.978562+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-11-01T03:00:26.067788+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["political-deepfake","ai-video","fact-check","depicted-or-impersonated","police-report"]},{"id":"2025-ireland-ai-cloned-investment-videos-of-presidential-candidate-removed-by-meta","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Fraudsters are already using deepfake technology to clone the image and voice of presidential election candidate Heather Humphreys in fake investment videos circulating online.'; 'Bank of Ireland is warning consumers to watch out for more of these adverts, mainly originating via Meta platforms, over the coming weeks.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The videos, which have circulated in recent days, cloned the Fine Gael politician’s image and voice using deepfake technology.'; 'The footage falsely portrayed an RTÉ News segment in which ‘Humphreys’ endorsed an investment platform, Quantum AI.'; 'The fake videos of Humphreys have primarily circulated Meta social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, Bank of Ireland said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Fake videos circulating mainly on Instagram and Facebook in September 2025 showed presidential candidate Heather Humphreys endorsing an investment platform, Quantum AI, in a purported RTÉ News segment.","causal_attribution":"Description of the adverts by Bank of Ireland and TheJournal.ie; the adverts were not inspected. Both sources rest on the bank's warning for the circulation details."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The video falsely portrays Heather Humphreys endorsing a high-return investment scheme, with the content entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning.'; '\"These videos are highly convincing, designed to lure unsuspecting individuals into fraudulent schemes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Bank of Ireland said the video was entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning and that the videos were highly convincing and designed to lure people into fraudulent schemes.","causal_attribution":"The bank's own attribution, relayed by the Connaught Telegraph; the AI sentence is unquoted text of the relayed warning, the head of fraud's quoted remarks do not mention AI, and the technical basis is not stated."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A spokesman for Humphreys said today that the fake videos had been reported to Meta, and called for them to be removed from the social media platforms “immediately”.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A spokesman for Humphreys said the fake videos had been reported to Meta and called for their immediate removal.","causal_attribution":"The candidate's spokesman's statement as reported by TheJournal.ie."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a statement this evening, a spokesperson for Meta confirmed that the videos have been taken down.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A Meta spokesperson said the videos had been taken down.","causal_attribution":"Meta's statement as reported by TheJournal.ie; Meta did not describe how the videos were made."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Except Humphreys, and Pistorious, never said any of this. The videos are a part of a growing wave of elaborate AI-generated fakes created with advancing voice-cloning software'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Investigate Europe stated that Humphreys never said what a Facebook video showed her saying about Quantum AI and described such videos as AI-generated fakes made with voice-cloning software.","causal_attribution":"Investigate Europe's own reporting in October 2025; it does not say which post it examined or how it established the AI generation."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Central Bank of Ireland warned last year that Quantum AI claims to provide cryptocurrency trading services using AI technology, and uses AI-generated deepfake videos, fake newspaper articles and photos of high-profile people through social media'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Central Bank of Ireland had warned the previous year that Quantum AI uses AI-generated deepfake videos and photos of high-profile people on social media.","causal_attribution":"Context on the scheme from TheJournal.ie's summary of a regulator's earlier warning, not about these particular videos."}],"effects":[{"label":"presidential candidate's image and voice used in fake investment adverts; her spokesman reported them and demanded removal","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2025/09/11/mayo-scam-alert-fraudsters-cloning-presidential-election-candidate-in-fake-investment-videos/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"bank-of-ireland-warning"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.thejournal.ie/heather-humphreys-fake-ad-6814132-Sep2025/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"thejournal-ie"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/investment-scammers-slip-through-cracks-in-eu-big-tech-law","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"investigate-europe"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","public_life"],"unknowns":["Who made the videos and which AI tool was used.","How Bank of Ireland established that the videos were AI-made.","How many people saw the videos and whether anyone invested after seeing them.","Whether a complaint was made to the Gardaí."],"geography":{"basis":"Bank of Ireland warned consumers about adverts using an Irish presidential candidate (Connaught Telegraph), the videos presented a purported RTÉ News segment (TheJournal.ie), and the Facebook post described by Investigate Europe pitched the platform to Irish families. She is a candidate for the Irish presidency. No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IE"],"affected_person_countries":["IE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published because a bank's fraud function attributed the fake investment videos to AI voice and image cloning and the depicted candidate's spokesman reported them to Meta and demanded their removal. The AI attribution is the bank's, with no technical basis stated.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Bank of Ireland's consumer warning, as relayed by the Connaught Telegraph (the AI wording is in the warning's text, not in the head of fraud's quoted remarks), says the video showing the candidate endorsing a high-return investment scheme was entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning; Investigate Europe also describes such videos as AI-generated fakes made with voice-cloning software. The cloned likeness is what the adverts presented to viewers and what her spokesman reported to Meta. The bank does not state its technical basis, and the tool and maker are not identified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Bank of Ireland says AI-cloned videos of presidential candidate Heather Humphreys promoted an investment scam; her spokesman reported them and Meta removed them","summary":"In September 2025, during the campaign for Ireland's presidential election, fake videos circulated mainly on Facebook and Instagram showing Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys endorsing a high-return investment platform called Quantum AI, presented as an RTÉ News segment. Bank of Ireland warned consumers on 11 September that the content was entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning and that more such adverts were likely, without stating how it reached that view. A spokesman for Humphreys said the videos had been reported to Meta and called for their immediate removal, and Meta said that evening that it had taken them down. No person who lost money to these particular videos is described in the sources.","incidentDate":"2025-09-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-09-11","aiSystem":"Unidentified voice and image cloning tool used to make fake investment videos of an Irish presidential candidate, as described in a Bank of Ireland warning","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Fake investment adverts that Bank of Ireland says used AI voice and image cloning showed a presidential candidate endorsing a scam platform; her spokesman reported them to Meta and demanded their removal, and Meta took them down (reported).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the presidential candidate whose image and voice the videos used, whose spokesman reported them to Meta and called for their removal (TheJournal.ie). No deceived investor is described in the sources; viewers and the consumers warned by the bank are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2025/09/11/mayo-scam-alert-fraudsters-cloning-presidential-election-candidate-in-fake-investment-videos/","primarySourceLabel":"Connaught Telegraph, 11 Sep 2025: fraudsters cloning presidential election candidate in fake investment videos","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:45.690104+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:45.690104+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","investment-scam","voice-cloning","depicted-or-impersonated","election","meta"]},{"id":"2025-youtube-ai-video-of-pope-leo-xiv-addressing-burkina-faso-leader-disowned-by-vatican-news","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"A 36-minute speech in English, created with artificial intelligence, has been uploaded to YouTube, falsely attributing to Pope Leo XIV words for Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The pope addressed journalists in Italian, not English, as portrayed in the altered clip.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A video depicted Pope Leo XIV delivering an English-language address to Burkina Faso's President Ibrahim Traoré that the Pope never gave.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"A video of about 36 minutes was uploaded to YouTube on the account “Pan African Dreams”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The altered clip was also posted on YouTube by Pan African Dreams, a channel that regularly publishes content about Traore.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The video was posted on the YouTube channel Pan African Dreams.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c3","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"produced using footage from Pope Leo XIV’s audience with journalists on Monday, May 12. ... A “morphing” technique was used—that is, transforming the image so that the movement of the lips matches the AI-generated words.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"a video of the pope’s first press conference at the Vatican was altered using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. ... the original clip was from a press conference held on May 12, 2025","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The video was made from footage of the Pope's 12 May 2025 audience with journalists, altered with AI so that his lips matched words he did not say.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"AFP Fact Check extracted the audio from the altered clip and ran it through Loccus.ai – an audio tool that looks for specific forensic traces left by voice generators. The result showed a 99 percent probability that the audio was generated with an AI tool.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"AFP Fact Check ran the audio through an audio forensic tool, which gave a 99 percent probability that the audio was generated with an AI tool.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"falsely attributing to Pope Leo XIV words for Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso. ... This is how a supposed English-language message attributed to the Pope and created with artificial intelligence begins.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The Vatican media department has also denied that the Pope received a letter from Burkina Faso or delivered a public address responding to Traore","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Holy See's Vatican News service published an article stating that the address was created with AI and falsely attributed to the Pope.","causal_attribution":"reported"},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The 36-minute video, posted shortly after the pope’s election in May, received at least a million views before YouTube terminated the account that posted it.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The video received at least a million views before YouTube terminated the account that posted it.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Vatican’s communications team said it has reported hundreds of accounts, mostly on YouTube, posting fake, AI-created videos — called deepfakes — of Pope Leo since the start of his pontificate. ... “Much of our time is spent reporting, silencing, and requesting the removal of these accounts,” the message continued.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Vatican's Dicastery for Communication said it had reported hundreds of accounts posting AI videos of the Pope and that much of its time is spent reporting and requesting their removal.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"was identified as synthetic content that was digitally generated. The owners of the YouTube account also included a disclaimer. It reads: “This video is a work of fiction inspired by the life of IBRAHIM TRAORÉ.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The YouTube channel's description called the video a work of fiction, and the upload was identified as synthetic content.","causal_attribution":"none"},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The video, published on May 15, 2025, shows the pope giving an address while holding two pieces of paper. ... at the beginning of the 17-minute clip ... The video appeared on X and Facebook accounts in Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A 17-minute version was posted on Facebook on 15 May 2025 and the clip circulated on X and Facebook accounts in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.","causal_attribution":"none"}],"effects":[{"label":"Pope depicted delivering a fabricated political address; the Holy See's news service publicly disowned it","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xiv-burkina-faso-fake-video-message.html","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25; no translation was needed. HTTP 200; Vatican News article dated 21 May 2025 (datePublished in the page).","independence_group":"vatican-news-2025-05"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.48HX3T2","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25; no translation was needed. Direct fetch HTTP 403; read from an Internet Archive capture (HTTP 200). AFP article dated 30 May 2025.","independence_group":"afp-fact-check-2025-05"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/vatican-struggles-against-spread-of-deepfake-images-of-pope-leo-xiv","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25; no translation was needed. HTTP 200; EWTN News publishing a CNA report by its Rome correspondent dated 25 Sep 2025, quoting the Dicastery for Communication.","independence_group":"cna-2025-09"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["public_life"],"unknowns":["Who made the video and with which tool.","When the first version was posted: AFP dates a Facebook post 15 May 2025 and the YouTube upload 17 May, and the sources give different lengths for the versions.","Whether the Pope or the Holy See took any step beyond the Vatican News article and reports to platforms, and when YouTube terminated the account."],"geography":{"basis":"The video was posted on YouTube and, per AFP, circulated from X and Facebook accounts in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria; where it was made or first posted is not established, so no event country is recorded. The depicted person is the head of the Catholic Church and no country is recorded for him. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): Vatican News and AFP Fact Check each describe the video as footage of the Pope's 12 May 2025 press audience altered with AI so that he appears to praise Burkina Faso's leader, AFP reports a forensic audio result, and the Holy See's news service publicly disowned the address as falsely attributed. The channel's fiction disclaimer is recorded.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-25"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Vatican News states that the speech was created with artificial intelligence from footage of the Pope's 12 May 2025 audience with journalists, with his lips morphed to match AI-generated words, and AFP Fact Check independently traced the footage to that audience, found the Pope had spoken Italian and not mentioned Traoré, and reported a 99 percent AI-generation probability for the audio from a forensic tool. That generated depiction of the Pope praising Traoré is what the Vatican's news service disowned as falsely attributed. The tool and maker are not established.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"AI-altered video showed Pope Leo XIV giving an address to Burkina Faso's leader that he never gave; Vatican News disowned it and AFP found AI audio","summary":"In May 2025, days after his election, a video circulated on YouTube, Facebook and X in which Pope Leo XIV appears to read an English-language address praising Burkina Faso's military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The Holy See's Vatican News service published an article on 21 May saying the speech had been created with artificial intelligence and falsely attributed to the Pope, and that footage from his 12 May audience with journalists had been morphed so that his lips matched AI-generated words. AFP Fact Check traced the footage to the same press audience, where the Pope spoke in Italian and did not mention Africa or Traoré, and reported that an audio forensic tool gave a 99 percent probability that the audio was AI-generated. CNA reported in September 2025 that the video received at least a million views before YouTube terminated the account that posted it, and that the Vatican's communications office spends much of its time reporting accounts that post AI videos of the Pope. The YouTube channel's description, as AFP reports, called the video a work of fiction.","incidentDate":"2025-05-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-05-21","aiSystem":"An AI-altered video: footage of Pope Leo XIV's 12 May 2025 audience with journalists, with his lip movements morphed to match AI-generated English words, per Vatican News and AFP Fact Check; the tool and its maker are not established","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A video altered with AI depicted Pope Leo XIV delivering a political address to Burkina Faso's military leader that he never gave; the Holy See's Vatican News service publicly disowned it, and CNA reports that YouTube later terminated the posting account.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One counted person: Pope Leo XIV, who is depicted and whose news service publicly disowned the video. Traoré is addressed in the video but not depicted. Views, shares and commenters are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xiv-burkina-faso-fake-video-message.html","primarySourceLabel":"Vatican News, 21 May 2025: Fake message to President of Burkina Faso attributed to Pope","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-25T03:08:46.842262+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-25T03:08:46.842262+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["video_generation","public_figures","social_media"]},{"id":"2025-queens-prosecutors-say-council-candidate-used-ai-to-fake-endorsements-and-news-reports-about-opponent","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'was arraigned today on a criminal complaint charging him with three counts of forgery in the third degree and 15 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree.'; 'was arrested on June 24 by members of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former New York City Council candidate in District 29 with three counts of third-degree forgery and 15 counts of third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; he was arrested on 24 June 2026 and arraigned on a criminal complaint.","causal_attribution":"The district attorney's own record of the charges; the charges are accusations."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Court-authorized subpoena records and search warrants revealed that, between January 17 and November 4, 2025,'; 'routinely and deliberately created and posted AI-generated images on his official social media accounts – primarily Facebook and Instagram – that falsely depicted endorsements from individuals and organizations that had not backed his candidacy and in fact, backed the opposition.'; 'allegedly used specific AI prompts to manufacture fraudulent news articles, using the logo and branding of legitimate news organizations'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors allege that subpoena records and search warrants showed that between 17 January and 4 November 2025 the candidate created and posted AI-generated images on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts that falsely depicted endorsements, and used AI prompts to make fake news articles carrying the branding of real news organisations.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation, based on records their investigation obtained; not yet tested in court."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'on October 4, 2025,'; 'The article depicted a photograph of the defendant shaking hands with former New York City Council Member Robert Holden under the title,'; 'He then allegedly prompted an AI platform to: “Take the first image and face swap the man in the left on the second image”'; 'The generated image fictitiously depicted the defendant shaking hands with the former council member'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 4 October 2025 the candidate prompted an AI platform to face-swap his own face into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with former council member Robert Holden, which he placed in a fake New York Post article claiming Holden had endorsed him.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“It's a fake, AI-generated image and Holden did not endorse Rinaldi,” said Holden’s longtime Chief of Staff Daniel Kurzyna, whose name is used as the byline on the story.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the former council member's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle that the handshake image was a fake, AI-generated image and that the former member had not endorsed the candidate.","causal_attribution":"The chief of staff's statement to the Eagle; he does not say how he knew the image was AI-generated."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'prompted Google Gemini to place that image onto a fictious Amsterdam News article.'; 'The fake article generated by his prompts, titled “Mamdani supporter Councilwoman … questioned by police for hacking,”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that in October 2025 the candidate prompted Google Gemini to place a photo taken from the official Instagram account of his opponent, incumbent Council Member Lynn Schulman, onto a fake Amsterdam News article whose headline said a councilwoman who supported Mamdani had been questioned by police for hacking, and posted it to Instagram.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On October 24, 2025,'; 'published a fictitious video to his Facebook account that was generated with Sora, an OpenAI application, with the caption, “!!!!Breaking news!!!! Lynn Schulman drops out of race for city council !!!”'; 'two additional videos were manufactured to mimic fictious broadcast segments.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 24 October 2025 the candidate posted a video generated with OpenAI's Sora in which a purported news anchor announced that his opponent had ended her campaign, and posted further fake articles and videos saying she had dropped out.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'public institutions that do not allow political endorsements, were AI-generated videos that depicted what appeared to be police officers and children making statements in support of'; 'None of the officers or children depicted worked at the precinct or attended P.S. 101.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the candidate also posted AI-generated videos of what appeared to be police officers and children endorsing him on behalf of a police precinct and an elementary school, public institutions that do not allow political endorsements; none of the people shown worked at the precinct or attended the school.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a recorded call that occurred several days after the image was posted, the head of QJA spoke with'; 'The manipulated QJA endorsement was taken down but then subsequently re-posted to the defendant’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on October 29, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the head of the Queens Jewish Alliance spoke with the candidate in a recorded call to ask about an altered copy of the alliance's endorsement sheet, and that the post was taken down and then re-posted on 29 October 2025.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account; they describe this sheet as altered and do not say which tool altered it."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My opponent has decided that his best path to victory is by lying about me and creating fake news to divide our community.”'; '“Any person who would stoop to creating and publishing fake news and AI videos to divide the community is wholly unfit to serve in elected office,” the councilmember added.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the opponent said in a statement that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news to divide the community, and that anyone who would create and publish fake news and AI videos was unfit for office.","causal_attribution":"The opponent's own statement to the Eagle."},{"id":"c10","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My accounts have definitely been hacked and I’m looking into it,” he said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He said he would not confirm or deny that he made the posts or generated the images at issue.'; '“This is an issue that strikes at the heart of our First Amendment freedoms — not just for me, but for everybody.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the candidate told the Queens Daily Eagle that his accounts had been hacked, and in June 2026 he told the Associated Press he would not confirm or deny making the posts or generating the images and called the case a free-speech issue.","causal_attribution":"The accused's own statements, recorded as counterevidence; the Eagle notes the accounts had posted apparently AI-created images since April 2025."},{"id":"c11","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'including some of his Democratic opponent, Lynn Schulman, appearing to wear a shirt that read “Hot Girls for Zohran.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'also posted doctored images of his opponent Schulman, standing next to Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and wearing branded “Hot Girls for Zohran” T-shirts.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the Associated Press's account of the complaint, prosecutors allege the candidate used AI to make doctored photos of his opponent appearing to wear a shirt reading “Hot Girls for Zohran”; the Queens Daily Eagle reported on 6 October 2025 that his campaign accounts had posted doctored images of her wearing such T-shirts.","causal_attribution":"The AI use is the prosecutors' allegation as relayed by the AP; the Eagle describes the images as doctored without naming a tool."}],"effects":[{"label":"the opponent said in October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news","claim_id":"c9","direction":"negative"},{"label":"an AI face-swapped image showed a former council member endorsing a candidate he did not back; his office called it fake","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens County District Attorney press release, 24 June 2026, summarising the criminal complaint and the investigation's subpoena and search-warrant records; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-da-complaint-jun-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://queenseagle.com/all/2025/10/6/queens-council-candidate-flaunts-fake-endorsements-and-doctored-news-articles","kind":"original_news_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens Daily Eagle, 6 October 2025, contemporaneous report with its own statements from the opponent, a state assembly member, the former council member's chief of staff and the candidate; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-eagle-6-oct-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/new-york-city-council-candidate-is-accused-of-forgery-over-ai-generated-posts/6517926/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Associated Press report published by NBC New York, 25 June 2026, with the AP's own phone interview of the accused; its account of the charges relays the district attorney's complaint; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"ap-24-jun-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","public_life","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI platform produced the face-swapped handshake image; the prosecutors quote the prompt but do not name the platform.","How many people saw the posts, and whether any voter acted on them.","The outcome of the criminal case."],"geography":{"basis":"The posts concerned a 2025 New York City Council race in Queens District 29, the depicted officials are Queens elected officials, and the charges were brought by the Queens District Attorney in Queens Criminal Court (district attorney release, Queens Daily Eagle).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Queens District Attorney alleges, from subpoena records and search warrants, that a council candidate used an AI face swap, Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora to make images, a fake article and a newscast video depicting a former council member's endorsement and his opponent's withdrawal; the opponent and the former member's office objected in October 2025. The charges are accusations and the accused has not admitted the posts.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Queens District Attorney, citing court-authorised subpoena records and search warrants, alleges the specific AI use: a prompt to an AI platform to face-swap the candidate into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with a former council member; prompts to Google Gemini that produced a fake newspaper article about his opponent; and a video generated with OpenAI's Sora announcing that she had quit. The former council member's chief of staff separately told the Queens Daily Eagle in October 2025 that the handshake image was fake and AI-generated. The accused said his accounts were hacked and has not confirmed or denied making the posts; the charges are untested.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Queens prosecutors say a City Council candidate used AI to fake endorsements and news reports, including a video saying his opponent quit","summary":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former candidate for New York City Council District 29 with forgery in June 2026, alleging that from January to November 2025 he posted AI-generated images, fake news articles and videos on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Prosecutors say subpoena records and search warrants show he prompted an AI platform to face-swap himself into a photo shaking hands with former Council Member Robert Holden for a fake New York Post endorsement story, used Google Gemini to make a fake Amsterdam News article saying his opponent, Council Member Lynn Schulman, was questioned by police, and posted a Sora-generated newscast announcing that she had dropped out. They also allege AI videos of apparent police officers and children endorsing him. In October 2025 Holden's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle the handshake image was fake and AI-generated, and Schulman said her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news. The accused said his accounts were hacked and later told the AP he would not confirm or deny making the posts.","incidentDate":"2025-01-17","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-04","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-10-06","aiSystem":"Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora, plus an unnamed AI platform used for a face swap, as identified by Queens prosecutors from the candidate's prompts","aiProduct":"Gemini and Sora (reported)","aiCompany":"Google; OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors allege AI-made posts falsely showed a former council member endorsing a candidate and falsely reported that the candidate's opponent had dropped out and been questioned by police; the opponent said on 6 October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news, and the former member's office called the image fake.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted officials whose objections are reported are counted: the opponent (her statement to the Queens Daily Eagle) and the former council member (his chief of staff's statement that the image was fake and AI-generated). Other officials, organisations, the depicted institutions and voters are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NY","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","primarySourceLabel":"Queens District Attorney, 24 June 2026: former City Council candidate charged with forgery over altered endorsements and phony news reports","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["election","deepfake","ai-generated-image","ai-generated-video","fake-news-article","forgery-charge","public-figure","depicted"]}]}