MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. Content generated with the use of AI was widely used to manipulate public opinion in a recent election in Hungary, according to an analysis by the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN).

"The Hungarian parliamentary elections, which concluded in April 2026, were marred by a wave of political disinformation. An analysis of the pre-election media landscape revealed the active use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the spoofing of reputable media brands, and the distortion of statistical data to manipulate public opinion. Both candidates and various voter demographics were targeted," the GFCN argued.

GFCN experts referred to a fabricated video that circulated on social media in which Tisza party leader Peter Magyar allegedly calls US President Donald Trump "a senile grandpa" and declares his intention to sever agreements on nuclear energy and defense with the United States in the event of his election win. However, the video was a fake, the analysis showed.

"The video utilized real footage from the politician’s March 22 speech, but the original audio track was swapped out: a female voiceover read the fictional quotes. No such words were spoken in the original address, and the word `grandpa’ (nagyapai) was only mentioned at the 50-minute mark strictly in the context of discussing social policy," the analysts explained. However, "to lend credibility to the forgery, the perpetrators superimposed the Euronews logo onto the video and included a link to a counterfeit website registered on March 20, 2026," they continued.

A similar method was exploited "in another fake released shortly before Election Day, which falsely claimed that Peter Magyar was withdrawing his candidacy," the experts found out. According to them, the message was disseminated under the guise of a breaking Sky News report, and the visual sequence consisted of stock news footage, while the voiceover was entirely AI-generated.

Electorate polarization

AI-generated technology was "deployed not only against politicians but also to polarize the electorate," the GFCN maintained. The opposition outlet Ellenszel released a series of videos "aimed at discrediting Hungarians voting from abroad," the experts noted. "For example, one such clip pushed the narrative that the diaspora was willing to vote for the ruling Fidesz party solely to secure funding for local church renovations, turning a blind eye to Hungary’s domestic healthcare and education crises," they said.

The fact-checking association pointed to signs of AI-generation in that video, including "unnaturally symmetrical faces, plastic-looking facial expressions, the lack of a natural background, and a fixed 15-second runtime." Furthermore, the content was released without any labeling indicating that it was AI-generated, which directly misled the audience, the experts added.

"Hungary’s 2026 electoral campaign demonstrated a high level of technological sophistication among creators of disinformation. The use of deepfakes, counterfeit news sites, and targeted AI-generated videos posed significant risks to the transparency of the democratic process," the analysts concluded.

According to the GFCN, "the incidents uncovered confirm that manipulative efforts originated from across the political spectrum. This underscores the crucial need for independent monitors and fact-checkers to subject both anonymous disinformation and statements by public officials to equally rigorous scrutiny.".