AI in Creative Industries · Deepfakes and Synthetic Media

How Are Deepfakes Being Used in Political Disinformation?

Deepfakes have been used in political contexts to fabricate video or audio of candidates and public figures saying or doing things they never actually said or did, aiming to mislead voters, damage reputations, or sow general distrust in authentic media, prompting a growing number of laws and platform policies specifically targeting political deepfakes around elections.

Legal disclaimer

This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before making decisions based on this content.

Key takeaways

Political deepfakes generally aim to fabricate statements or actions by candidates or public figures that never actually occurred.
Beyond directly misleading voters, deepfakes can also contribute to a broader erosion of trust in authentic video and audio evidence generally.
A growing number of states and some countries have passed laws specifically restricting or requiring disclosure of AI-generated content in political advertising.
Fact-checking organizations and journalists have developed verification practices specifically aimed at identifying political deepfakes quickly, especially close to elections.
Concern about political deepfakes has driven both platform-specific policies and broader public media literacy efforts around synthetic media.

The Core Mechanism: Fabricating What Never Happened

Political disinformation involving deepfakes generally centers on fabricating video, audio, or images depicting a candidate, elected official, or other public figure saying or doing something they never actually said or did. Because deepfake technology can generate a realistic depiction of a real, identifiable person, it’s particularly well-suited to this kind of fabrication compared to older disinformation methods, which typically relied on out-of-context real footage, misleading captions, or crudely edited video rather than wholly fabricated but visually convincing content.

The specific content varies, ranging from fabricated statements timed to damage a candidate close to an election, to manipulated audio clips depicting a political figure making comments they never made, distributed to spread quickly through social media before verification can catch up.

Beyond Individual Fabrications: Eroding Trust Broadly

Political disinformation researchers and journalists have noted that the harm from deepfakes extends beyond any single fabricated piece of content. The mere existence and growing awareness of deepfake technology can contribute to a broader phenomenon sometimes referred to as the “liar’s dividend,” where authentic, real footage of a public figure can be dismissed as fake simply because deepfakes are known to exist and be increasingly convincing. This means political deepfakes can cause harm both through direct deception and through a more diffuse erosion of public trust in genuine video and audio evidence generally, complicating accountability even when real misconduct is captured on authentic footage.

The Policy and Verification Response

Recognizing these risks, a growing number of states have passed laws specifically addressing AI-generated content in political advertising, commonly requiring disclosure when synthetic media is used in a political ad or restricting certain uses within a defined window before an election. Separately, fact-checking organizations and news outlets have built out verification workflows specifically aimed at quickly assessing the authenticity of suspicious political content, recognizing that speed matters significantly in limiting the spread and impact of political disinformation before it can influence public opinion or voting decisions.

Bottom Line

Deepfakes are used in political disinformation primarily to fabricate statements or actions by candidates and public figures that never occurred, aiming to mislead voters or damage reputations, while also contributing to a broader erosion of trust in authentic media, a set of risks that has driven new state-level disclosure laws and dedicated fact-checking verification efforts around elections.

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Important caveats

Specific incidents and their real-world impact are actively studied and debated; this answer describes general patterns rather than any single confirmed case or outcome.

Frequently asked questions

What's the main goal behind using a deepfake for political disinformation?

The goals generally fall into a few overlapping categories: directly misleading voters about a candidate's statements or actions, damaging a public figure's reputation through fabricated content, or more broadly undermining public trust in authentic video and audio evidence by making all such content seem potentially unreliable.

Have governments passed laws specifically about political deepfakes?

Yes, a number of states have passed laws specifically addressing AI-generated or manipulated content in political advertising, often requiring disclosure when synthetic media is used or restricting its use within a certain period before an election, and this remains an active area of state and federal legislative activity.

How do fact-checkers try to identify political deepfakes quickly?

Fact-checking organizations and journalists use a combination of source verification, cross-referencing with corroborating footage or statements, technical analysis tools, and established relationships with campaigns and officials to try to confirm or debunk suspicious content as quickly as possible, particularly during high-stakes periods like elections.

Sources

[1]Poynter Institute resources on political misinformation and fact-checking — Poynter Institute
[2]Reuters Fact Check on verifying political claims and manipulated media — Reuters
[3]Congressional tracking of election-related AI legislation — U.S. Congress

Written by Editorial Team

Last updated July 25, 2026

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