Prime Minister's wife "admitted" to corruption – and the video sparked a storm in Spain

Ahead of the elections in Spain, the conservative opposition party released a deepfake video in which the prime minister's wife and senior officials allegedly admit to corruption. The video garnered nearly two million views and sparked a political uproar, a legal complaint, and a legal debate over the boundaries of satire.

A political storm erupted in Spain ahead of next month's general elections, after the conservative opposition party, the People's Party, released a video created using artificial intelligence. The video, distributed on the party's official accounts, features fake depictions of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, and other senior Socialist Party officials, as they allegedly admit to acts of corruption and misconduct. The video had garnered nearly two million views by Friday. The ruling party responded sharply, with Digital Minister Óscar López accusing the opposition of spreading false information. The video included a disclaimer that it was created using AI, but the caption appeared in tiny letters. Legal experts interviewed by the newspaper El País were divided on whether the video constitutes a violation of the law, with most believing it is not illegal due to its labeling as AI content and its satirical nature.