Cole Bennett AI media incident — Nov 2026
A network of over 3,000 AI-generated deepfake videos exploited the likeness of political commentator Cole Bennett and other influencers to spread.
- Reported date
- Nov 13, 2026
- Target
- Cole Bennett
The exact incident date was not established. This entry is dated by its source report.
A network of over 3,000 AI-generated deepfake videos has been identified using the likeness and voice of Edmonton-based political commentator Cole Bennett and other influencers to spread disinformation. Researchers at McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy uncovered the campaign, which targeted Canadian and American audiences with content regarding provincial referendums, elections, and international trade tensions. Despite the use of AI-generated scripts and voiceovers, the videos garnered upwards of 20 million views in a three-month period, often deceiving viewers who attempted to engage with the narrators as if they were real people.
What happened
The campaign involved 293 Instagram and TikTok accounts that utilized stolen footage of real influencers. In some instances, the network superimposed AI-drawn lips and AI-generated voices onto existing content, while other videos simply repurposed influencer footage with new backgrounds. The content frequently featured false claims, such as a fabricated ultimatum regarding U.S.-Canada tariffs that attracted 5.1 million views across 161 videos.
Researchers identified the network by tracking common titles, captions, video formats, and recurring typos. The operation appeared to follow a professional workday schedule and originated from time zones in East or Southeast Asia, with some accounts registered in China. The deepfakes often exhibited technical hallmarks of AI generation, such as accent switches and facial glitches, yet the platform's automated detection systems failed to flag the vast majority of the content. Only 4 per cent of the videos were identified by TikTok’s internal labeling system, as the software often misidentified the deepfakes as authentic because they were built upon original human footage. Following the report, TikTok banned the identified accounts, though the ultimate objective of the campaign remains unclear as it did not appear to be driving a specific ideological agenda or generating direct revenue.