Alarming AI ads are flooding social media in the lead-up…
AI-generated political advertisements are saturating social media ahead of the Victorian election, raising questions about transparency and funding.
- Incident date
- Sep 2026
- Target
- Victorian Labor government
In the lead-up to the 2026 Victorian election, social media platforms have been flooded with AI-generated advertisements depicting dramatic and often disturbing scenarios. These campaigns, produced by groups such as Fix Victoria and Better Victoria, utilize synthesized imagery to highlight concerns like crime, infrastructure failures, and state debt. Advertising data indicates that these groups have outspent major political parties and candidates, with Fix Victoria alone spending nearly $100,000 on digital ads in August.
What happened
The advertising campaigns rely on AI-generated visuals to create high-impact narratives. Examples include images of a masked individual brandishing a machete at a petrol station, a woman unable to reach a hospital due to poor infrastructure, and floodwaters gushing from state parliament. According to industry experts, the scale of this spending—often exceeding that of established political entities—suggests a significant, coordinated effort to influence public opinion.
Transparency concerns have emerged regarding the funding and origin of these groups. Fix Victoria was registered in August by former senior staff members of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), including Deborah Henderson, Andrew Hudgson, and Gideon Rozner. While the organization claims to be issues-driven rather than politics-driven, critics point to the staff's historical ties to conservative thinktanks and political figures. Similarly, Better Victoria has emerged as a significant spender, though its leadership remains largely anonymous, with administrative filings linked to a Melbourne-based lawyer.
Legal experts note that these groups are exploiting loopholes in Victorian electoral law. Because the advertisements do not explicitly promote or oppose a specific party or candidate, they do not meet the legal threshold for registration as third-party campaigners. This classification exempts the organizations from mandatory donation disclosure requirements, effectively shielding their financial backers from public scrutiny. Transparency advocates warn that this lack of oversight allows opaque entities to exert significant influence on the electoral process while bypassing the accountability standards typically applied to political participants.