Victorian Labor Posts AI Deepfake of Jess Wilson Over $1.27 Billion Health Plan
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 4
Victorian Labor Posts AI Deepfake of Jess Wilson Over $1.27 Billion Health Plan
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 4
Summary
Victorian Labor published a Halloween-themed AI video that falsely shows Liberal leader Jess Wilson warning a heart attack would cost $150,000 under an "Americanised" health system.
The ad repurposes Wilson’s response to criticism of her $1.27 billion plan to fund private hospitals for public elective surgeries, after she said there was "nothing wrong" with "Americanising" the system.
Ben Carroll defended the ad’s substance on ABC Radio Melbourne, while Wilson called it a desperate smear and the Liberal campaign labeled it garbage.
AI election content is spreading across parties and groups: Liberals have posted AI clips of Carroll asleep at his desk, and Advance Australia disclosed an AI-made fake Labor victory video.
Experts, Transparency International and the Greens are pushing for South Australia-style truth-in-political-advertising laws, where unlabeled deepfake election ads can draw penalties of up to $5,000.