One Nation Unveils AI Campaign Video With 4 Racial Stereotypes as Australia Weighs Election Deepfake Curbs
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 8
One Nation Unveils AI Campaign Video With 4 Racial Stereotypes as Australia Weighs Election Deepfake Curbs
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 8
Summary
One Nation played an AI-generated campaign video at its Victorian launch that depicted an African man with a machete, a Middle Eastern man in an explosive vest, a South Asian man in a turban and an Indigenous elder.
The clip appears to sit largely outside current enforcement because it exists online, while Australia’s media regulator cannot act on that kind of content and electoral rules target misinformation about voting processes, not offensive political ads.
News Corp reported the party is preparing a broadcast version, which could bring the ad within Acma’s remit, though an industry source said its tone would still be unlikely to breach current broadcasting rules.
The episode has intensified pressure for tighter election AI rules: Senator David Pocock has pushed for 2 years for action, 35,000 people have signed his petition, and parliament’s AI committee heard this week that regulation is overdue.
The broader concern is that cheap generative AI is accelerating political 'slop' across campaigns, with the AEC and outside experts warning manipulated content could erode trust and compromise the perceived integrity of elections.