Serie A faces backlash over AI use in anti-piracy campaign

The Lega Serie A has launched its #STOPIRACY campaign for the 2026/2027 season to combat illegal audiovisual streaming, known in Italy as ‘pezzotto’. The initiative aims to inform fans about the risks of fraudulent content access, including potential criminal sanctions and device infections. According to data from FAPAV/Ipsos, piracy costs the Italian economy an estimated 2.3 billion euros.

However, the campaign has faced significant backlash on social media due to the use of generative artificial intelligence to create the promotional video. Critics and fans have pointed out a perceived hypocrisy, arguing that using AI—which relies on the unauthorized use of existing artworks for training—contradicts the campaign’s goal of defending intellectual property and copyright. In response to the criticism, the league updated the post to include disclosures regarding the use of AI.