AI Deepfake Targets Councillor Stirring Election Concerns

Nelson City Councillor Campbell Rollo has condemned an "AI-generated" video of him that was posted to social media.

The video, which featured the first-term councillor shooting a military-style firearm, was uploaded to a Nelson community Facebook page on Friday, but was later taken down.

It had been posted by an account called Nelson NZ Video Game Buyer, with a caption: "This is who your [sic] voting for Nelson community! How shameful, encouraging violence!"

Councillor Denounces AI Fabricated Video

Rollo said the video was generated by artificial intelligence and was "quite taken back" when he saw the video online.

"The video was not real. It was generated by someone using my Facebook picture without my knowledge."

A watermark reading "PixVerse.ai" – a generative AI website – appeared in the corner of the video, and the backdrop and clothing being worn by Rollo in the video match his Facebook profile image.

"I literally had no idea where it had come from. I quickly went back and kind of scrolled over it; [I] could tell quite quickly it was AI-generated," he said.

"I really just think someone was having a wee bit of fun. But yeah, in hindsight, probably a bit too far."

Misinformation Concerns Rise Ahead of Elections

He said it was worrying to see that some commenters had wondered if the video was real and urged residents to be "very mindful" of online content, especially as the local election approaches.

"If you see something come up of a political figure or someone who’s running for council, I would certainly be looking for an authorisation statement or something that’s genuine.”

Mayor Echoes Concerns and Offers Support

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith echoed Rollo’s concerns.

He said it was a good thing the video was "so fake" that most people would be able to determine the post was made by "somebody being mischievous".

"However, it’s a real warning, particularly as we go into the local elections, for people to be cautious of false claims being made to besmirch people and to influence how they vote."

Smith added that Rollo, the Tāhunanui liaison councillor, was "very effective" in his role.

"He’s done a great job for Tāhunanui, and associating him with gun violence is very unfair."

Community Rallies Behind Councillor

After the video was taken down, Rollo found the outpouring of support from residents and his fellow elected members "super humbling".

"The amount of phone calls and messages I had from people just reaching out, making sure I was okay. It’s quite cool," he said.

"At the end of the day, we are humans that are trying to do the best we can for the community."

Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.