In a campaign marked by the intensive use of social networks, IArtificial NTerligence and Digital Operationshe PRO This Saturday presented a Judicial complaint For the massive circulation of Un False video generated with artificial intelligence which simulates the image and voice of Mauricio Macri. The video, which was disseminated by the social network X (formerly Twitter) and other platforms, shows the former president giving an alleged message of support or electoral replication, on the eve of the Buenos Aires legislative elections.
“We come to make this complaint for violation of the current electoral regulations and the commission of a crime,” says the document presented by the pro -pro of the election ”.
The complaint not only points to a criminal offense within the framework of article 140 of the National Electoral Code – which punishes vote induction through deception – but also It raises a scenario of institutional severity That, according to the complainants, compromises the integrity of the electoral process in the city of Buenos Aires.
“The maneuver, in addition to constituting a criminal crime of extreme institutional gravity, threatens the principle of integrity of the electoral process, and ostensibly seeks to favor the list headed by Manuel Adorni, belonging to the Alianza La Libertad advances, at the expense of our list, headed by Silvia Lospenato,” says the presentation.
The use of generative artificial intelligence to produce false political content represents one of the new challenges for contemporary democracies. In this case, the video is part of what is commonly called “Deepfake”: An advanced type of digital manipulation that allows to recreate with great realism voices, gestures and faces of real people. The problem becomes particularly sensitive when that content is disseminated during the electoral ban, when any propaganda that can influence the will of the voter is prohibited.
From the PRO they ensure that the piece was amplified by accounts linked to sectors close to freedom progressalthough for now their direct managers were not identified. In parallel, Mauricio Macri himself denied the veracity of the video on social networks and described it as a “gross operation.”
The legal team of together for the change (today concentrated in the Pro Porteño) requested a series of urgent measures: the immediate video removal on all platforms; he Office to social networks to preserve evidence and help identify those responsible; the Intervention by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to advance with criminal investigation; the Opening of actions for violation of the electoral ban (Art. 64 bis of the National Electoral Code); a formal intimation to freedom progresses to refrain from validating or disseminating the false content; a Official Communication of the Institute of Electoral Management (IGE) clarifying that No list was withdrawn of the choice; a Urgent statement from the Electoral Court to warn about the maneuver and prevent confusion among voters; If appropriate, the Accounts, servers or platforms to reach the material authors of the fact.
Article 140 of the National Electoral Code establishes sentences of up to Two years in prison for those who “with deception induce another to cover in a certain way or refrain from doing so.” According to the complaint, “the dissemination of a false video, prepared with technology designed to deliberately deceive voters, directly configures the planned criminal type.”
But in addition to the criminal crime, The PRO considers that this case violates the basic pillars of democratic coexistence. “This maneuver has a single obvious objective: misinform and manipulate the electorate,” they denounce, “generating confusion and inducing vote change, with a particularly serious impact because it is about the eve of the choice.”
In its most forceful stretch, the complaint accuses La Libertad advances “undeniable favor” for this operation: “The video induces to falsely interpret a decline of political support for our list and a redirection of the vote towards its space.”
The general context of the Buenos Aires campaign shows a growing tension between pro and llaafter several crosses between Javier Milei and Mauricio Macri for the failed project of Clean filemutual criticism and dispute by the center -right electorate. Within that framework, the appearance of an Deepfake that seeks to influence the electoral will in the last moment deepens the accusations of dirty war between the two spaces that until recently shared ideological affinity.
The episode could mark a precedent in Argentine politics, not only for the seriousness of the denounced fact but for the use of AI technologies within the framework of an electoral campaign. Justice will now have the task of defining whether this video was an isolated case of misinformation or part of a deliberate operation To manipulate the vote.
By rn
