Brazil’s electoral court sets new standards for AI deepfakes after case involving Sen. Bolsonaro

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Brazil’s electoral court sets new standards for AI deepfakes after case involving Sen. Bolsonaro

Opposition presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro holds a photo of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, as he rides a boat during a campaign rally ahead of the October general election in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

2026-09-02T15:26:07Z

                                       

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s top electoral court set new standards for what it will consider to be         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence -generated         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-deepfake-trump-espionage-hack-scammers-da90ad1e5298a9ce50c997458d6aa610">deepfakes in political advertising, a move aimed at curbing misinformation and manipulation ahead of October elections.

The court issued the ruling late Tuesday in a case involving opposition candidate         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-flavio-bolsonaro-presidential-candidate-convention-ed98f8ccc0ccef6c7fa3619cdf2f86d1">Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who used the mechanism in his party’s convention to feature AI-generated images of his imprisoned father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, endorsing his campaign against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced in November to 27 years in         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-bolsonaro-prison-sentence-4ffc790826dd9dcd008dc666b6b9dda7">prison for leading a coup attempt. At the Liberal Party’s convention in         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-flavio-bolsonaro-presidential-candidate-convention-ed98f8ccc0ccef6c7fa3619cdf2f86d1">Sao Paulo in July, an AI-generated version of the former president appeared to urge attendees “to open arms” for his son and support his presidential bid.

   
       
   

In its decision Tuesday, the electoral court voted 4-3 not to punish Sen. Bolsonaro, ruling that the deepfake in question did not constitute a political ad for public airing, but one for a private event before his candidacy was officially announced.

However, in a separate 5-2 vote, the court defined what qualifies as a deepfake in political advertising as “synthetic content produced or manipulated via artificial intelligence or equivalent technology” with a degree of realism “to create, reproduce or alter the image, voice or speech of any living, deceased or fictional person.”

Brazil’s presidential elections are heavily played online, though television and radio ads continue to         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-soap-operas-cinema-oscars-61148809cc6ec3038eaacff3769daed8">set the talk of the town and sway voters.

   
       




   

The rules will apply to a vast         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-election-free-campaign-ads-a01265e96412450f90271e30d5f07a73">amount of content from candidates ahead of the first round of voting on Oct. 4. Broadcasters must set aside 14 minutes a day for nearly 1,000 30-second ads, in addition to 12 1/2-minute blocks reserved exclusively for presidential candidates.

   
       
           
               
                   
   
   


   

 

 
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                MAURICIO SAVARESE
           
       

       
           
                Savarese is a reporter since 2004, with a vast experience covering soccer and politics. English, Español, Português, some French and a bit of Italian.
           
       
       
       
           
               
                   
                       
   
   
       
           
       
   
   
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Source: Brazil’s electoral court sets new standards for AI deepfakes after case involving Sen. Bolsonaro