{
  "id": 5024055,
  "title": "Brazil's Flavio Bolsonaro cleared after AI video of father backing election bid",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-cleared-after-ai-video-of-father-backing-5024055",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-02T05:11:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/09/1524118/brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-cleared-after-ai-video-father-backing-election"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro was acquitted on Tuesday of a potential violation of electoral law after airing a deepfake video of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro. A coalition backing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva alleged that Flavio Bolsonaro had broken the ban on using AI-generated replicas of real individuals in political campaigns. The Superior Electoral Court dismissed the charges, stating that the event where the video was displayed occurred before the official start of the election season. The court's ruling was based on a five-to-two vote. The deepfake video was shown in July during Flavio Bolsonaro's official candidacy announcement, depicting his father endorsing him in October's elections. The AI-generated video's voice and appearance were created using artificial intelligence. In the video, the digital replica of Jair Bolsonaro states, \"As everyone here knows, I am imprisoned and silenced by an unjust decision. I ask you to welcome with open arms the person I chose to replace me – blood of my blood, my son Flavio.\" Jair Bolsonaro's attorneys claimed they did not authorize the use of the AI-generated video. The 71-year-old ex-president, who served time in prison for attempting a coup and is currently in home confinement due to health issues, is not permitted to use social media, mobile phones, or make public statements. The Supreme Court barred Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting his father until after the first round of the election, following Jair Bolsonaro's voiceover in a social media post. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for October 4, with recent polls indicating Lula has a slight lead.",
  "summary": "BRASILIA: Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro was acquitted Tuesday of a possible violation of electoral law after he broadcast a deepfake video of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro cleared after AI video of father backing election bid",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-cleared-after-ai-video-of-father-backing",
        "published": "2026-09-02T04:45:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}