The Partido Popular (PP) has sparked a political row after releasing an AI-generated video showing senior socialist figures and allies of the Spanish government appearing to confess to crimes and corruption.
The 51-second clip, shared on the party’s official social media accounts yesterday, uses AI to replicate the faces and voices of six figures linked to the PSOE – including prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife Begoña Gomez and former PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
It comes less than 24 hours after Sanchez launched his own pre-election campaign embracing the label zurdo – meaning left-winger – which Argentine president Javier Milei weaponised as an insult during a visit to Madrid this week.
In his video, Sanchez listed policies including pension rises, higher minimum wages and expanded parental leave, repeating: “If that’s left-wing then yes, I am left wing and proud of it.”
The PP hit back with its AI-generated parody entitled Lerdos y orgullosos – roughly translated as ‘Dimwits and proud’.
Sanchez’s wife, who has been embroiled in a corruption scandal, is shown saying: “If becoming a chair thanks to my husband being prime minister is left-wing, then yes, I’m left-wing.”
Former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos, who became the first serving congressman to be incarcerated since the transition to democracy, appears to say: “If going on the piss and pocketing illegal commissions is left-wing, then yes, I’m left wing.”
The clip also features Zapatero, who refers to hiding jewellery in a safe, former PSOE official Leire Diez talking about hiring thugs to get rid of a judge, and ex-part spokeswoman Montse Minguez referencing her boyfriend’s property portfolio.
Former PSOE secretary-general and close Sanchez ally Santos Cerdan rounds off the video with a line about taking backhanders and belonging to a criminal gang.
The PP does disclose that the video was made using AI – but reports have criticised the disclaimer for being displayed in tiny, faint lettering at the bottom of the clip.
The video has amassed almost two millions views across X, Instagram and TikTok, according to El Pais.
The PSOE has threatened to take legal action in response, with party spokeswoman Rebecca Torro branding the video ‘deplorable’ and accusing the PP of replying to personal attacks rather than policy.
“They have spent four years insulting and lying, and now they are using AI because they have nothing else but permanent insults,” she said.
The controversy has also raised questions about the legal limits of AI-generated political satire, particularly when fabricated statements appear to attribute criminal conduct to real people.
Spanish legal expert Borja Adsuara told El Pais that AI-generated content must generally be labelled, although satire may be treated differently where there is no risk of confusion.
However, he warned that content going beyond satire to accuse people of crimes could potentially lead to legal action over alleged insult or defamation.
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