Artificial Elections: Generative AI in 2024 French Elections
By Salvatore Romano, Miazia Schüler, Natalia Stanusch, Raziye Buse Çetin, Sonia Tabti, Marc Faddoul and Ibis Lilley
Found 51 instances of synthetic imagery, primarily used by right-wing parties to dramatize sensationalist narratives during the 2024 elections; none were labeled as AI-generated.
About this research
This online publication draws on an OSINT investigation and legal/policy analysis, with research spanning one country.
- Publication
- Archived online publication
- Research approach
- OSINT investigation and legal/policy analysis
- Geographic focus
- France
Publication details prepared by Social Media Transparency from the original source.
Executive summary
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AI Forensics examined the use of AI-generated imagery by political parties during France's 2024 European Parliament and legislative election campaigns, reviewing official party websites and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
The investigation identified 51 instances of synthetic imagery across Facebook, Instagram, and X, concentrated among three parties — Rassemblement National, Reconquête, and Les Patriotes — that made systematic use of the technology, while two smaller parties used it only sparingly. The imagery primarily dramatized anti-EU and anti-immigrant narratives, and none of the identified images carried disclosure or labeling indicating their AI-generated origin, whether from the parties themselves or the hosting platforms.
The report concludes that the absence of transparency around synthetic political imagery, combined with the narratives it was used to reinforce, points to gaps in both platform policy and electoral regulation. The authors call for stricter content moderation and stronger EU-wide rules governing generative AI in electoral contexts.
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