AI videos fuel rhetoric as Orbán bids for four more years in Hungary

AI videos fuel rhetoric as Orbán bids for four more years in Hungary1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleReha KansaraandRita Pálfi,Global Disinformation UnitFidesz/HungaryThe controversial AI-generated video depicts a girl waiting at a window for her father to return from warWarning: This piece refers to scenes of violence from the startWhen a video went viral appearing to show a Hungarian soldier's execution, its disturbing nature came as a shock to anyone who saw it.Ahead of pivotal Hungarian elections on Sunday 12 April, the AI-generated, fake clip was posted on the social media accounts of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party in February.It tells the story of a young girl at a window yearning for her father's return home from war, and then the video cuts to him - blindfolded, bound by the hands, and then shot by his captors.The video targeted Orbán's election rival, Péter Magyar, who could unseat him after 16 years in office. The Fidesz campaign has made unsubstantiated claims about the war in Ukraine and Magyar's intentions, at times using AI-generated videos like this, even though it makes clear the video is fake."The video is an AI video, but the war is really horrible," the video says. "Péter Magyar doesn't want you to see this video. He doesn't want you to see what an irreversible tragedy it is to join a war."Fidesz alleges that Magyar, from the centre-right party Tisza, will bring Russia's war against Ukraine to its doorstep if elected, even using pension money to support Ukraine and imposing forced conscription.ReutersPéter Magyar's Tisza leads the election race, according to most opinion pollsSuch narratives have been widely rejected by Magyar and by his party Tisza. In its manifesto, it pledges it will not send troops to Ukraine and does not plan to revive conscription.We asked ruling party Fidesz whether it had made the AI execution video and why it had posted it on to its s...