# Italian political deepfake controversies

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/italian-political-deepfake-controversies
> Updated: 2026-08-14T13:16:28.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2.

Political tensions in Italy have escalated following the use of synthetic media in campaign communications. Roberto Vannacci, leader of the Futuro Nazionale party, released an AI-generated video depicting himself as a Roman legionary and President Sergio Mattarella granting clemency to a convicted jeweler.

Following this, Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein denounced a separate deepfake video that falsely depicted her having dinner with Vannacci. Schlein clarified that the meeting never took place and expressed concerns regarding the ability of artificial intelligence to pollute electoral campaigns and democratic processes. 

In response to these incidents, Schlein joined Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in calling for the responsible and ethical use of AI. Schlein has appealed to social media platforms to remove disinformation and is working with other political parties to develop a formal text for discussion regarding the regulation of such content.

## Claims

- A deepfake video depicting Elly Schlein having dinner with Roberto Vannacci is circulating online. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Elly Schlein and Roberto Vannacci have never met. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Schlein is calling for the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence among all political forces. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Social media platforms should take responsibility for the timely removal of deepfakes. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Schlein's team is drafting a text to present for discussion with other political parties. (corroborated by 3 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-14: Elly Schlein denounces deepfake video involving Roberto Vannacci

Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein has denounced a deepfake video showing her at dinner with Roberto Vannacci, calling for ethical AI use and faster removal of disinformation by social media platforms.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/elly-schlein-denounces-deepfake-video-involving-roberto-vannacci

### 2026-07-25: Roberto Vannacci releases AI video of President Mattarella granting clemency to jeweler Mario Roggero

Roberto Vannacci posted an AI‑deepfake video showing President Mattarella granting clemency to jeweler Mario Roggero, sparking debate over AI use in politics amid a campaign for self‑defence legislation.

14 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/roberto-vannacci-posts-ai-deepfake-of-president-mattarella-urging-clemency-for-jeweler-mario-roggero

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Cite as: Italian political deepfake controversies. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/italian-political-deepfake-controversies