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Attack ads featuring deepfake Jess Wilson, Ben Carroll drive calls for ban

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) •
November 05, 2026 • 06:26 AM
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Political and advertising experts say artificial intelligence will play a much bigger role in election campaign ads – but deepfakes should be off limits.

Attack ads featuring deepfake Jess Wilson, Ben Carroll drive calls for ban

To the untrained eye or absent-minded social media scroller, it might seem strange to glimpse Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson trick or treating alongside One Nation leader Warren Pickering, or Labor Premier Ben Carroll fast asleep on a racehorse. Yet many Victorians would have seen both in the past week.

“Under our new plan for Americanised healthcare, if you had a heart attack, you would have to pay $150,000 for care,” the very realistic-looking Wilson says, holding up a piece of paper emblazoned with the all-caps “HOSPITAL BILL”. It is, of course, entirely fake.

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