Japanese IT head says he made AI videos to smear Takaichi’s rivals during poll - South China…

In late 2024, it was revealed that an IT firm executive produced AI-generated content intended to damage the political standing of rivals during the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election. The incident highlights the growing intersection of generative AI and political campaigning, as these digital tactics were deployed to influence the outcome of a high-stakes national leadership contest.

What happened

Ken Matsui, a 33-year-old IT firm head, stated in an interview that he was approached by a secretary for Sanae Takaichi to assist in her election efforts. During an online meeting on September 25, Matsui discussed social media strategy with the secretary and proposed that negative videos would be an effective tool to reverse the lead held by Shinjiro Koizumi, who was then a prominent contender for the LDP presidency. Matsui subsequently created AI-driven videos designed to criticize Takaichi’s political rivals. Takaichi eventually won the LDP election on October 4 and later appointed Koizumi as defense minister. While reports emerged suggesting the campaign utilized anonymous accounts to distribute these smear videos, Takaichi denied these allegations during a parliamentary session in May.