Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE) is considering legal action after the opposition right-wing People’s Party (PP) published an artificial intelligence (AI) video showing fabricated versions of Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and prominent socialist figures apparently admitting wrongdoing.
The PP defended the video on Thursday, with national spokesman Borja Sémper arguing that AI was a legitimate tool for exposing what he described as socialist ‘hypocrisy’, provided viewers were not led to believe the recreated images and voices were genuine.
The dispute follows competing social media campaigns built around zurdo — literally ‘left-handed’, but also used as a derogatory term for someone on the political left (or a ‘leftie’). The PSOE sought to reclaim the expression with a message of pride in progressive politics; the PP responded with AI-generated impersonations linking the same slogan to allegations of corruption and other controversies.
Fabricated statements and cloned voices
The PP’s 51-second video appeared on its official X, Instagram and TikTok accounts after 10pm on Wednesday. It features AI-generated versions of Gómez, former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, former PSOE organisation secretary Santos Cerdán and former Socialist spokeswoman Montse Mínguez.
Both their appearances and their voices were artificially recreated. The remarks attributed to them in the video are invented statements, rather than recordings of anything they actually said.
The AI-generated version of Cerdán declares: ‘If taking kickbacks and belonging to a criminal gang makes me a leftie, then yes, I’m a leftie.’ ALSO READ: Spanish PM denies any knowledge of suspected scheme targeting corruption probes.
The fabricated Gómez says: ‘If having a university chair thanks to my husband being prime minister makes me a leftie, then yes, I’m a leftie.’ ALSO READ: Spanish PM’s wife to stand trial as court upholds influence-peddling and embezzlement case.
The AI version of Zapatero states: “If hiding jewellery in a safe makes me a leftie, then yes, I’m a leftie.” ALSO READ: Former PM Zapatero breaks silence over Plus Ultra investigation and luxury jewellery.
Another sequence depicts Ábalos saying: ‘If going to whores makes me a leftie, then yes, I’m a leftie.’ ALSO READ: Spain’s ex-transport minister sentenced to 24 years as corruption pressure mounts on government.
The video ends with the words: ‘Yes, they’re lefties. Dimwits. And proud.’ The Spanish closing line plays on the similar sounds of zurdos, meaning lefties, and lerdos, meaning dimwits.
The video does contain a disclosure that it was made using AI. However, it is in ver small, faint lettering at the bottom of the screen, making it difficult to see for much of the clip (see link to video below).
Its initial reach was substantial. Within 11 hours, the combined posts had attracted almost two million views across the three platforms, alongside approximately 18,000 shares and more than 66,000 likes, the newspaper reported.
Socialists examine their options as PP defends the video
The PSOE confirmed on Thursday that it was examining possible legal action.
Speaking on Cadena SER’s Hoy por Hoy, PSOE organisation secretary Rebeca Torró accused the PP of using technology to extend a political strategy based on attacks and falsehoods.
‘And now they are using technology,’ she said. ‘They have no project to offer this country other than noise, lies and constant insults. And now we see them using artificial intelligence.’
The PP’s Sémper, meanwhile, defended his party’s use of the technology to illustrate what it considers socialist hypocrisy. His defence rested on the distinction between an openly artificial political attack and material intended to deceive audiences into believing the people depicted had genuinely spoken.
The PP maintained that position as the controversy developed on Thursday, defending AI as a campaign tool while the socialists considered a possible complaint.
A response to Sánchez’s ‘proud to be a leftie’ campaign
The confrontation began with a conventional video published on Sánchez’s official account at 8.30am on Wednesday, shortly before Argentine President Javier Milei addressed an event at Madrid’s Casino. ALSO READ: Milei calls Sánchez a ‘disgraceful dictator’ and urges Spaniards to oust PSOE.
Milei frequently uses zurdo as an insult against his political opponents. The PSOE campaign turned the expression into an affirmative slogan, with Sánchez declaring himself proud to be a leftie.
The PSOE also displayed a large banner on its headquarters in Madrid’s Calle Ferraz as part of the campaign.
Unlike the PP’s later response, the original socialist video used genuine footage recorded with cameras and microphones. It gained more than two million views on X alone and helped make the slogan a prominent subject of online discussion during the day.
The controversy raises questions about how far political satire can go when it recreates identifiable people and puts invented admissions in their mouths.
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Lo que PP y Vox no quieren que escuches hasta después del #29N: hablemos de las cosas del comer 👇🏼 https://t.co/C2TKss5fDB
— Rebeca Torró/❤️ (@Rebeca_Torro) October 22, 2026
Vamos a dejar atrás la hipocresía de quienes nos dicen desde un púlpito político que hay que tratar bien a las mujeres y por la tarde contratan prostitutas. https://t.co/PZFFOpwOOf
— Partido Popular (@ppopular) October 22, 2026
Sí, son zurdos. https://t.co/iu5qsyYGZd
— Partido Popular (@ppopular) October 21, 2026
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