Catherine Connolly deepfake video — Oct 2026

During Ireland’s 2025 presidential election, a deceptive deepfake video was circulated online targeting candidate Catherine Connolly. The video falsely depicted Connolly announcing that the election had been called off and that she was withdrawing her candidacy, explicitly urging her supporters not to cast their votes. In reality, the footage was entirely fabricated, and Connolly continued her campaign, ultimately winning the election.

What happened

The incident involved the creation and dissemination of a synthetic video designed to suppress voter turnout by spreading misinformation about a candidate's status. The video utilized deepfake technology to mimic Connolly, presenting a false narrative that the election was no longer proceeding. This tactic was highlighted by Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the UK’s Electoral Commission, as a prime example of the risks posed by AI-generated content in democratic processes. Rangarajan noted that such content, if deployed during a British election, could potentially shift a significant number of votes by undermining the administration of the election itself. The incident serves as a case study for why election regulators are now prioritizing the development of AI-powered monitoring systems to identify and flag misleading content within hours of its appearance on social media.