Begoña Gómez files complaint against PP over AI-generated video

Begoña Gómez filed a formal legal complaint against the Partido Popular for publishing an artificial intelligence-generated video attacking the PSOE by simulating her image and voice.

Begoña Gómez files a formal complaint over identity substitution

The spouse of Pedro Sánchez lodged the legal action in response to a digital campaign launched by the Partido Popular across multiple social media platforms and its official website. EL PAÍS reported that the contested video used artificial intelligence to generate a simulated version of Gómez stating that she holds a university chair due to her husband’s political position. The complaint asserts that the Partido Popular engaged in identity substitution, unauthorized use of voice and image, and deliberate humiliation designed to inflict unjust harm.

According to the legal filing submitted to the court, the complaint considers that the video may fall under the Penal Code article that punishes those who use a person’s image to open fake social media profiles or create advertisements without the owner’s consent. The document targets the managers of the Partido Popular’s official social media profiles as well as any party officials who issued directives to community managers regarding the campaign.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemns the AI campaign

Pedro Sánchez addressed the controversy during an interview on the podcast Keep It Cutre, drawing a direct parallel between the Partido Popular’s tactics and the behavior of online harassers targeting minors. Sánchez stated that a political party aspiring to govern should combat such methods rather than emulate them. He further announced that his wife had initiated legal proceedings for identity substitution during the broadcast.

The Prime Minister also linked the wider dissemination of polarizing digital content to systemic failures across major social media platforms. The campaign in question featured synthetic portrayals of other prominent political figures, including José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and José Luis Ábalos, alongside Gómez.

Legal obstacles

Legal analysts consulted by EL PAÍS noted that securing a criminal conviction over the Partido Popular’s video remains very difficult due to broad protections for freedom of expression and the right to satire in Spanish and European jurisprudence.