A digitally resurrected Albertus Magnus, the 13th-century bishop of Lauingen, Germany, appeared in an Instagram video this week, urging residents to attend the town’s upcoming Faschingsumzug, or carnival parade. The video, created by the local Green Party chapter using artificial intelligence (AI), is a sign of a growing trend: German political parties are increasingly turning to AI tools to circumvent advertising restrictions and boost their online presence.
The video depicts a digitally animated statue of Magnus, located on Lauingen’s market square, coming to life and addressing viewers. “It was beautiful,” the AI-generated Magnus says in the video. “Meet me at the Faschingsumzug on Sunday.” Dietmar Uhl, a spokesperson for the Green Party, explained that the intention was simply to “give Albertus Magnus a voice.” According to Uhl, the party believed Magnus would likely disapprove of modern Lauingen’s reliance on cars, the increasing heat, and the prevalence of sealed surfaces. The party created the video using four photographs of the statue and AI tools, adding their party logo for branding. “The response has been consistently positive,” Uhl said, “even from other parties.”
The shift towards AI-driven campaigning comes after Meta, the parent company of Instagram, drastically altered its advertising policies last fall, effectively banning political advertising. Ulrich Reiner, the district chairman of the Free Voters party, acknowledged the challenge. “It was different during the district administrator election in 2022,” he said. Now, parties must rely on organic reach, requiring a constant stream of photos and videos, creative content, and active engagement from supporters to share content widely.
Reiner himself utilizes three AI platforms: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Midjourney. He uses ChatGPT to add emojis to social media posts, Perplexity for research, and Midjourney to generate technical infographics. However, he remains hesitant to rely on AI for core content creation. “I don’t trust it when it comes to text,” Reiner stated. “I seek to express my own thoughts, and I’m convinced readers can tell the difference.”
Manuel Knoll, a member of the state parliament for the CSU, views AI as a helpful tool, occasionally used within the party to “develop texts.” He noted a recent trend among mayors to create AI-generated caricatures during Fasching. “I believe this is just the beginning,” Knoll said, adding that AI applications are currently prone to errors but will be “significantly more sophisticated” by the 2032 elections. He observed a marked change in campaign practices since the last local elections, with group videos becoming commonplace.
Knoll cautioned against the potential for unreliable information and the growing difficulty of identifying disinformation. Reiner echoed this concern, emphasizing the need for responsible AI application and media vigilance, citing a recent incident at ZDF heute Journal where a fabricated AI-generated video was mistakenly aired.
Niklas Junkermann, chairman of the SPD district, is currently evaluating AI applications that originate outside the United States. While acknowledging the use of AI in political perform, he stressed the importance of avoiding direct content replication, particularly with text. He believes AI can serve as a source of inspiration with appropriate caution, and distance. Junkermann, who works as a consultant in the IT sector, expressed particular concern regarding the copyright implications, data privacy, and credibility of AI-generated graphics, especially if viewers are unaware of their artificial origin.
Currently, none of the major parties – CSU, SPD, Free Voters, or the Greens – have established formal guidelines for AI usage, with representatives indicating a preference for independent decision-making.