AI content proliferates in Hungary ahead of next year’s elections
The two US tech giants recently ended political advertising in the EU because of new rules that came into force last week that require such ads to be clearly labeled — including who sponsored them — and restricting the deployment of personally targeted ads.
Photo courtesy of Ludovic MARIN / AFP
Budapest (AFP) — A video of Hungarian soldiers going off to fight in Ukraine and returning home in caskets is just one of many AI-generated posts that have appeared on Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s social media accounts ahead of elections next year.
Orban, a nationalist who has been in power since 2010 in the central European country, is expected to face an unprecedented challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar.
Ahead of the contest, politicians and their supporters across the political spectrum have used the technology, with Orban targeting the opposition, following in the footsteps of US President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly posted fabricated videos, stirring online outrage.
Experts warn that because some AI content can generate very emotional reactions, the use of the technology could sway public opinion ahead of the poll.
Orban’s backers have invested significant resources into AI ahead of the poll, expected in April.
One group, the National Resistance Movement (NEM) which backs Orban’s Fidesz party, has in recent months targeted Magyar in mostly unlabeled AI-generated videos on social media.
Since 15 June, the group spent over 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million) on Facebook and YouTube to promote its content, more than any political organization in the EU, based on public data from platform owners Meta and Google.
The two US tech giants recently ended political advertising in the EU because of new rules that came into force last week that require such ads to be clearly labeled — including who sponsored them — and restricting the deployment of personally targeted ads.
Some of NEM’s videos contain non-existent people manipulated to express outrage at Magyar’s alleged policy plans, while a few others are deepfake videos of him.
Other pro-Orban AI clips support the nationalist leader’s policy drives, such as his opposition to Ukraine’s EU membership bid, which he has warned could drag Hungary into the war in the neighboring country.