Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court has banned the publication of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated campaign material in the final stretch of October’s presidential and legislative elections.
The resolution, unanimously approved on Monday, prohibits the reproduction of AI-generated material in the 72 hours before the elections, as well as in the 24 hours following them.
Furthermore, the judges ruled that all electoral propaganda — from images to audio — produced with the help of these tools must disclose in an “explicit, prominent, and accessible” manner the technology used.
The proposal’s rapporteur, Judge Kássio Nunes Marques, stated during the discussion that the measure aims to “eliminate unwanted surprises during the most critical period” of the process and “prevent algorithmic interference.”
The ruling also prohibits the manipulation of images or audio — known as deepfakes — to “harm or favor” a specific candidacy.
Non-compliance with these rules will be considered “abuse of political power” and “improper use of the media,” and may result in the loss of a candidate’s registration or the mandate they were elected to, according to the resolution.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the left-wing candidate seeking reelection, has repeatedly expressed concern over the use of AI in elections.
During a world leaders’ summit dedicated to this technology, held at the end of February in India, he said that AI could encourage “extremely harmful practices,” such as hate speech and disinformation.
“False content manipulated with artificial intelligence distorts electoral processes and puts democracy at risk,” he declared.
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In the previous elections, held in 2022, the Superior Electoral Court took a proactive stance against the spread of thousands of fake news stories on social media, ordering the removal of content and even the deletion of numerous user accounts.
This action made the institution a major target of criticism from former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022).
