Deepfake Video Reportedly Depicts Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema Withdrawing from 2026 Election
Description
A viral video circulating on social media in October 2023 falsely claimed that Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema announced he would not run in the 2026 elections. Fact-checkers and digital forensics experts confirmed the video was manipulated using basic AI tools. The footage originated from a TikTok account known for AI-generated content.
Actors
Alleged Deployers
- @zambian_ai-tiktok-account
- unknown-actors
Alleged Developers
- deepfake-technology-developers
Harmed Parties
- hakainde-hichilema
- general-public-of-zambia
- united-party-for-national-development-(upnd)
- democratic-integrity
Classification
Risk Domain
Malicious Actors & MisuseRisk Subdomain
4.1. Disinformation, surveillance, and influence at scale
MIT Risk Profile
Source
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