Brazil's Attorney General Announces Deepfake Surveillance for 2026 Elections

The Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, promised an immediate response against the use of deepfakes - videos or audios manipulated by artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate speech and images of real people - and the interference of criminal factions in the 2026 elections. "The TSE [Superior Electoral Court] is attentive to this and the Attorney General's Office as well," he said in an interview with EsferaCast. He acknowledged the difficulty of distinguishing malicious AI-generated content from legitimate productions. Gonet also warned of the risk of factions and militias preventing candidates from campaigning in territories under their control. "The Brazilian state cannot coexist with parallel states, set up and run by criminal organizations," he said. The prosecutor spoke about the recent classification of Brazilian factions as terrorist organizations by the United States government. In his assessment, the American decision exposes Brazil to a negative image abroad, but may have a positive effect by encouraging the union of public bodies in the fight against organized crime. Asked how the PGR protects itself from political pressures in an election year, Gonet said that the Prosecution maintains its independence by following the rhythm of the law and not the speed of the media. Gonet also criticized the excessive judicialization of conflicts in Brazilian society. For him, there is a growing tendency to transform any everyday conflict into a legal demand - from consumer relations to political disputes. The prosecutor stated that the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has become a third chamber of Congress and a space for small parties that cannot get a voice in the Legislature and take their battles to the Court.