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🇧🇷 Brazil /Elections & Politics

AI Disinformation in Elections Could Lead to Disqualification, Warns Brazil's Top Justice

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned that candidates using AI for disinformation could face disqualification.
  • He described AI as an "anabolic" agent for spreading false information, making manipulations more sophisticated.
  • Moraes stressed that severe penalties, like losing candidacy or office, are necessary to deter criminal use of AI in elections.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued a stark warning on Friday: candidates who employ artificial intelligence to spread disinformation during elections risk having their candidacies or mandates revoked. He characterized AI as an "anabolic" agent that amplifies disinformation on social media, enabling more sophisticated manipulations since the 2022 elections.

All candidates must be absolutely aware that if they want to use mechanisms of disinformation anabolized by artificial intelligence on the eve of the election, it will lead to disqualification.

— Alexandre de MoraesExplaining the potential consequences for candidates using AI for electoral disinformation.

Moraes highlighted the growing ability to create convincing fake videos and audio, where a person's image, voice, and even lip movements can be altered to make them appear to say things they never did. He emphasized the particular danger of such content appearing just before or on election day, stating, "It's no use coming a week later saying, 'Wow, that was really false.' The election is over."

It's no use coming a week later saying, 'Wow, that was really false.' The election is over.

— Alexandre de MoraesHighlighting the immediate impact and irreversible nature of AI-generated disinformation close to election day.

The justice argued that penalties must be severe enough to prevent candidates from exploiting the rapid spread of information on social media. Fines, he suggested, would have less deterrent effect. The possibility of losing one's registration or elected office, however, could significantly alter the political calculations of those considering using disinformation.

What's left? To revoke the registration or revoke the mandate.

— Alexandre de MoraesStating the severe penalties necessary to deter the criminal use of AI in elections.

"What's left? To revoke the registration or revoke the mandate," Moraes stated. "If there are no consequences, we will be normalizing a terrible situation of attack on democracy and the free will of the voter." He added that the challenge for the 2026 elections will be ensuring voters can change their minds freely, not due to artificially created false content presented as truth. The threat of disqualification is thus presented as a key tool to prevent AI from becoming a weapon of electoral manipulation.

If there are no consequences, we will be normalizing a terrible situation of attack on democracy and the free will of the voter.

— Alexandre de MoraesEmphasizing the need for strong deterrents to protect democratic processes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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