As Australia approaches its next federal election, voters are grappling with a growing threat to democracy: the rise of AI-generated political deepfakes.
According to Adobe’s Authenticity in the Age of AI 2025 report, 77% of Australians believe they’ve encountered more harmful deepfakes in just the last three months.
While digital content has long influenced political discourse, generative AI is making it harder than ever to separate fact from fiction. Most Australians (86%) say it’s now more difficult to tell whether digital content is real or fake. And yet, just 12% feel very confident they can detect a deepfake.
The consequences are more than just digital noise. Around 68% of Australians say online content has led them to reconsider a candidate or issue—sometimes reinforcing existing opinions, other times changing their view altogether. This influence underscores why digital media literacy and trustworthy public relations strategies are more important than ever.
Read also: Generative AI and the threat of deepfakes in election campaigning
Jennifer Mulveny, Director for Government Relations and Public Policy Asia Pacific at Adobe, says the issue is gaining urgency during the election cycle.
“In the era of generative AI, voters may be acutely aware of the spread of harmful deepfakes. It has the power to influence voter views and more citizens need to be equipped with the digital media literacy and skills to stop, check and verify content,” she said.
Trust in the system is on shaky ground. A majority (83%) of Australians find it difficult to verify whether online content is trustworthy—placing the country among the highest globally for this concern.
Voters are calling for stronger safeguards. Nearly four in five (78%) support stricter regulations requiring AI-generated political content to be clearly labelled. At the same time, 86% believe social media platforms have a responsibility to reduce the spread of misinformation, though many are already cutting back on usage, particularly on Facebook and X.
Australians also want better tools to make informed decisions. About 74% say seeing labels on AI-edited or generated content is important, particularly for photos, videos, and major news events.
“Tools like labelling, tagging, and embedded Content Credentials can empower Australians to more easily track the origins and integrity of the content they encounter,” said Mulveny. “Widespread adoption of these tools is essential.”
As election season ramps up, safeguarding public trust through transparency and communication is becoming a national priority.
