Meta Removes Account After Connolly Deepfake

A realistic AI-generated deepfake mimicking an RTÉ news bulletin falsely announced that presidential candidate Catherine Connolly had withdrawn and that the Friday election was cancelled with Heather Humphreys named as the automatic winner, using fabricated versions of presenter Sharon Ní Bheoláin and correspondent Paul Cunningham. The clip circulated widely on Facebook under an account called “RTÉ News AI,” drawing reports of views from about 30,000 to more than 160,000 before Meta removed the account, though some copies remained on other platforms. Connolly condemned the footage as entirely false, confirmed she remains a candidate, and lodged a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission while urging platforms not to share the clip and to label AI-generated content. Media regulators and the Electoral Commission have been notified and have sought information from platforms and preservation of metadata to help identify those responsible. The incident is being cited as part of a wider surge in AI-driven political disinformation, prompting calls for stronger platform action and public vigilance ahead of the vote.