Māori people deepfake (Apr 2025)

The Act Party in New Zealand used an AI-generated image titled 'Happy Maori couple sits comfortably in a cozy living light room' in an advertisement. The image was intended to depict a Māori couple and was part of a broader collection of AI-generated stock photos featuring minority couples. Although not impersonating anyone, the lecturer Olivier Jutel, saw the use of AI-generated imagery in the political arena as an affront. The party later stated they would never use the technology to impersonate a real figure. Other parties also used AI-generated images during the campaign.