![AI-generated video of an elderly woman on a subway, part of a trend of AI-created content in elections [factcheck.afp.com].](https://cms.aidailypost.com/uploads/aigenerated_grandma_videos_hit_6_million_views_amid_japan_election_45100501d9.webp "AI-generated video of an elderly woman on a subway, part of a trend of AI-created content in elections [factcheck.afp.com].")
Editorial illustration for AI‑generated grandma videos hit 6 million views amid Japan election test
AI Election Fakes Surge in Japan's Political Battlefield
AI‑generated grandma videos hit 6 million views amid Japan election test
Six million viewers watched a fabricated elderly woman rage against politicians. That figure is real, pulled from YouTube during a Japanese election cycle. It was not satire.
A YouTube channel featuring AI-generated grandmothers ranting about politics racked up nearly six million views. According to Professor Shinichi Yamaguchi from the International University of Japan, 51.5 percent of respondents in a comprehensive survey believed fake news to be true--a threat to democracy. A candidate posted video footage of a large crowd at his election rally.
The AI chatbot Grok flagged it as AI-generated, even though it was authentic. This phenomenon is known as the liar's dividend: the mere existence of generative AI gives liars a convenient excuse to dismiss real evidence as fake. Donald Trump used this tactic when he claimed that authentic photos of a Harris rally were AI-manipulated ("AI'd").
Beyond Japan, primarily conservative groups are deploying AI in election campaigns--sometimes openly, sometimes not.
We now inhabit an age of perfect, self-serving doubt. Professor Yamaguchi's survey found 51.5% of people believed false reports. The crowd in that rally video was genuine; Grok's AI was wrong.
The angry grandma was a digital puppet. The corrosive effect is this: credibility becomes a choice. You can accept evidence or dismiss it as synthetic—a tactic that gains force precisely because some content, like that grandmother, is fake.
This erodes the shared factual substrate democracy requires. Japan's election is merely a live test. The next could be in Europe or America.
When six million views flow to a synthetic persona, it feels less like parody and more like a soft attack. The public is trained to trust nothing. That's the dividend.
Everyone collects.
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Common Questions Answered
How are generative AI tools being used to create false content during the Japan lower house election?
[mainichi.jp](https://mainichi.jp) reports that AI is being used to alter candidate photos and create false videos, such as a manipulated image of a candidate in a tank top on a snowy street that was clearly generated using AI. Another example includes a false YouTube video suggesting a political party leader was going to be exiled, which the leader himself called out as terrible misinformation.
What key points should people consider to detect false election-related information?
According to a fact-checking expert cited in the [mainichi.jp](https://mainichi.jp) article, people should carefully examine three critical aspects: the source of the information, the basis for the claim, and related contextual information. The expert emphasizes the importance of being vigilant, especially given the ease of creating sophisticated fake images with generative AI technologies.
What legal actions are being considered in response to AI-generated misinformation?
[mainichi.jp](https://mainichi.jp) reports that Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, is considering a defamation lawsuit after a false YouTube video claimed he would be sacked and exiled. This demonstrates that political leaders are taking active steps to combat the spread of AI-generated false information during the election period.
Further Reading
- Japan election: AI-doctored video of campaign broadcast goes viral — Inquirer.net
- Watchdog group Public Citizen demands OpenAI withdraw AI video app Sora over deepfake dangers — Associated Press
- AI Incident Roundup – November and December 2025 and January ... — AI Incident Database
