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Hungarian public media channel M1 incorporated AI-generated video content into its news coverage to illustrate claims regarding the Tisza Party. The broadcast utilized material from a campaign video produced by the Nemzeti Ellenállás Mozgalom (NEM) to support narratives about alleged tax increases planned by the opposition.

What happened

The M1 midday news program featured a segment discussing supposed leaked tax plans attributed to the Tisza Party. To illustrate the public impact, the report included a scene featuring an AI-generated individual presented in the style of a "man on the street" interview, expressing negative opinions about the proposed tax changes.

The source material was produced by NEM, a company owned by Bence Apáti, which has been identified as a leading spender on political advertisements in the European Union. Beyond the street interview simulation, NEM has produced other materials using AI-generated characters, including depictions of teachers, bus drivers, and doctors, to warn of potential financial losses under the Tisza Party's alleged policies.

Reports indicate that M1 provided limited disclosure regarding the use of the third-party campaign material. While the station noted at the beginning and end of the segment that it was utilizing a NEM video, it reportedly failed to clearly delineate where the public media reporting ended and the promotional content began, nor were there consistent on-screen labels identifying the footage as external campaign material. The underlying claim of a "leaked tax plan" originated from an anonymous article published by Index, which Péter Magyar of the Tisza Party has denied. Despite the lack of verified evidence for the claims, the material has been integrated into broader political messaging.