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Colombia: Cepeda Files Complaint Over AI Defamation by De la Espriella Campaign

Colombia
Colombia: Cepeda Files Complaint Over AI Defamation by De la Espriella Campaign


Cepeda is suing De la Espriella for alleged defamation involving the use of AI and for alleged vote-buying in Colombia. Credit: @IvanCepedaCast / X.com.

The Colombian presidential campaign added a new chapter of confrontation this week after the ruling-party candidate, Ivan Cepeda, announced that he will file a criminal complaint against the campaign of his rival, far-right candidate Abelardo De la Espriella, over an alleged defamation strategy involving content generated with artificial intelligence.

The announcement comes amid a runoff election marked by political polarization and a constant exchange of accusations between the two presidential contenders. Just over two weeks before the decisive election day, the controversy opens a new front in the dispute over the use of technological tools in campaigns and the limits of political propaganda in the digital age.

Cepeda is also alleging a supposed vote-buying scheme by his rival and said he will ask the management of private television networks RCN and Caracol, as well as public broadcaster RTVC, to organize a debate between himself and the far-right candidate, a decision subject to the reach and capabilities of those media outlets and taking place amid disagreements between the two campaigns over arranging a debate before June 21.

Colombia: Cepeda files complaint over AI defamation by De la Espriella campaign

Through a public statement, Cepeda said he will take the case to the criminal courts, arguing that sectors linked to De la Espriella’s campaign have been disseminating audiovisual content manipulated through artificial intelligence with the aim of damaging his image and misleading voters.

“Given that Mr. De la Espriella is taking the dirty path of artificial intelligence manipulation, social media campaigns (…) and also moving votes not through arguments, not through a program, but through other means, we are going to take action,” the presidential candidate said.

The Historic Pact candidate claimed that the publications seek to attribute statements and behavior to him that never occurred, in a strategy that, he alleged, aims to spread disinformation during the final stretch of the presidential campaign.

Cepeda argued that these types of practices represent a threat to democratic transparency and to citizens’ right to receive truthful information during the electoral process. In his remarks, he said the opposing campaign resorts to this type of content because, according to him, it cannot engage in political debate with arguments and facts.

The ruling-party leader also said that his legal team is gathering evidence to support the complaint and establish potential criminal liability related to the dissemination of allegedly false material.

The controversy arises in an international context in which election campaigns face growing challenges from technologies capable of creating highly realistic images, audio recordings, and videos.

So-called “deepfake” content, or synthetic material generated by artificial intelligence, has become a concern for electoral authorities and disinformation experts because of its ability to simulate statements or actions by public figures that never actually occurred.

Although Cepeda did not publicly detail all the elements that will be included in the complaint, he insisted that there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that technological tools have been used to fabricate misleading content intended to harm his candidacy.

The complaint announced by the ruling-party candidate could become one of the first high-profile political cases in Colombia directly related to the alleged use of artificial intelligence for electoral defamation purposes.

Complaint over alleged vote buying and debate still up in the air

Added to this is the announcement by Cepeda’s campaign that it will report an alleged vote-buying scheme by his opponent in the election. “My campaign, through multiple channels, is receiving information that we are going to document regarding potentially irregular and illegal financial activities by Mr. De la Espriella’s campaign,” the left-wing candidate said during a press conference in Cali.

Cepeda, who is seeking to bring new sectors into his political project in order to improve his chances of winning the June 21 runoff, said he has “received information about an alleged vote-buying operation or the movement of large sums of money for that purpose in different parts of the country” by his opponent’s campaign.

Meanwhile, the so-far elusive debate between Ivan Cepeda and Abelardo De la Espriella continues to face enormous difficulties due to organizational differences between the two sides.

On this matter, Cepeda said he will ask the management of private television networks RCN and Caracol, as well as public broadcaster RTVC, to organize a debate between himself and candidate De la Espriella, something that has not yet received a response from the media outlets in question.

Cepeda insisted that “the country is eagerly awaiting” this encounter, to which Colombians are “entitled,” although during the first round of the presidential election he refused to debate the other candidates, arguing that the conditions for “a serious debate” were not in place.

With two weeks remaining before the runoff election, the ruling-party candidate asked his opponent to appoint two representatives so that preparations for the potential debate can move forward.

“Perhaps he (De la Espriella) does not like the rules; it is his way of doing things (…) but this is how democracy works. These are basic and minimum rules. So we once again demand that he appoint his representatives so that we can move forward,” Cepeda concluded.





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