FAKE FACES, REAL CONSEQUENCES: Should NZ Ban AI in Political Ads?

TL;DR — What You Need to Know

• New Zealand politician campaigns are already dabbling with AI-generated content — but without clear rules or disclosures.
• Deepfakes and synthetic images of ethnic minorities risk fuelling cultural offence and voter distrust.
• Other countries are moving fast with legislation. Why is New Zealand dragging its feet?

AI in New Zealand Political Campaigns

In the build-up to the 2025 local body elections, New Zealand voters are being quietly nudged into a new kind of uncertainty: Is what they’re seeing online actually real? Or has it been whipped up by an algorithm?

This isn’t science fiction. From fake voices of Joe Biden in the US to Peter Dutton deepfakes dancing across TikTok in Australia, we’ve already crossed the threshold into AI-assisted campaigning. And New Zealand? It’s not far behind — it just lacks the rules.

The National Party admitted to using AI in attack ads during the 2023 elections. The ACT Party’s Instagram feed includes AI-generated images of Māori and Pasifika characters — but nowhere in the posts do they say the images aren’t real. One post about interest rates even used a synthetic image of a Māori couple from Adobe’s stock library, without disclosure.

That’s two problems in one. First, it’s about trust. If voters don’t know what’s real and what’s fake, how can they meaningfully engage? Second, it’s about representation. Using synthetic people to mimic minority communities without transparency or care is a recipe for offence — and harm.

Copy-Paste Cultural Clangers

Australians already find some AI-generated political content “cringe” — and voters in multicultural societies are noticing. When AI creates people who look Māori, Polynesian or Southeast Asian, it often gets the cultural signals all wrong. Faces are oddly symmetrical, clothing choices are generic, and context is stripped away. What’s left is a hollow image that ticks the diversity box without understanding the lived experience behind it.

And when political parties start using those images without disclosure? That’s not smart targeting. That’s political performance, dressed up as digital diversity.

A Film-Industry Fix?

If you’re looking for a local starting point for ethical standards, look to New Zealand’s film sector. The NZ Film Commission’s 2025 AI Guidelines are already ahead of the game — promoting human-first values, cultural respect, and transparent use of AI in screen content.

The public service also has an AI framework that calls for clear disclosure. So why can’t politics follow suit?

Other countries are already acting. South Korea bans deepfakes in political ads 90 days before elections. Singapore outlaws digitally altered content that misrepresents political candidates. Even Canada is exploring policy options. New Zealand, in contrast, offers voluntary guidelines — which are about as enforceable as a handshake on a Zoom call.

Where To Next?

New Zealand doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. But it does need urgent rules — even just a basic requirement for political parties to declare when they’re using AI in campaign content. It’s not about banning creativity. It’s about respecting voters and communities.

In a multicultural democracy, fake faces in real campaigns come with consequences. Trust, representation, and dignity are all on the line.

What do YOU think?

Should political parties be forced to declare AI use in their ads — or are we happy to let the bots keep campaigning for us?

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