Bolsonaro uses AI avatar to stay visible in Brazil politics

Jair Bolsonaro appeared through an AI-generated avatar at Flavio Bolsonaro’s campaign launch in Sao Paulo on July 25, even as he remained under house arrest for allegedly plotting against democracy and barred from this year’s presidential race. The video placed the former president in the background as Flavio Bolsonaro and allies gathered at the Liberal Party event, turning a family campaign launch into a test of how far synthetic media can carry a banned politician’s influence.

The appearance pushed Bolsonaro into one of the clearest examples yet of AI entering mainstream politics in Brazil. Rather than standing on a stage himself, Bolsonaro used a digital stand-in that could mimic his look and voice, allowing his message to travel without his physical presence. That distinction matters in a country where political communication is heavily shaped online and where Bolsonaro has long relied on aggressive digital outreach to speak directly to supporters.

The legal question is whether that kind of synthetic surrogate can be treated like a campaign tool or like a workaround. Brazil’s top court was already on notice after Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned political candidates on February 29, 2024, not to use AI against opponents. Opposition parties challenged the synthetic video on July 27, saying it violated electoral rules, and the dispute now sits in a gray zone that Brazil’s electoral authorities were not built to manage: a candidate who cannot formally run, but can still project power through a machine-made version of himself.

The stakes extend beyond Bolsonaro’s circle. The same tools that can keep a political brand alive can also blur accountability, invite confusion over who is speaking, and help campaigns attack rivals without the friction of a live appearance. In Brazil, where memories of misinformation in recent elections remain fresh, the episode is likely to sharpen scrutiny from courts, regulators and rival politicians as they confront a new reality: an avatar can now do part of the work of a banned candidate, and the law is still catching up.