AI videos stoke anti-Ukraine fears in Hungary’s election as energy crisis looms
Fake AI-generated videos are flooding Hungary’s social media ahead of next week’s pivotal election, stoking anti-Ukraine sentiment and threatening to swing the vote in Viktor Orbán’s favour. Meanwhile, the bloody conflict in Iran is sending energy prices through the roof, with analysts warning that the spiralling costs could kill off the fragile economics of the AI boom before it’s even properly started.
The BBC reports that AI-generated videos depicting Ukrainian soldiers committing atrocities against Hungarian civilians have gone viral on Facebook and Telegram in recent days. These deepfakes, which show soldiers speaking Hungarian and wearing uniforms with Hungarian insignia, have been shared hundreds of thousands of times despite being quickly debunked by fact-checkers.
Orbán’s campaign weaponises AI deepfakes
Sources close to Orbán’s Fidesz party have admitted to the BBC that they are “experimenting” with AI-generated content, though they deny any involvement in the creation of the anti-Ukraine videos. Critics are less convinced, pointing out that the timing is suspiciously convenient for a government that has already positioned itself as Ukraine’s harshest critic in the EU.
“This is textbook Orbán,” says Péter Krekó, director of the Political Capital think tank in Budapest. “He’s been looking for an excuse to distance Hungary from Ukraine for months. Now he’s got AI doing his dirty work for him.”
Energy crisis threatens AI industry
As if election interference wasn’t enough, The Guardian reports that the war in Iran is creating a perfect storm for the AI industry. Iran’s oil production has been slashed by 40% since the conflict began, sending global energy prices soaring. Since training large language models requires enormous amounts of electricity, the economics of AI development are looking increasingly precarious.
“We’re seeing data centre operating costs increase by up to 30% in some regions,” says Dr. Sarah Chen, energy economist at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. “At these prices, many AI startups simply won’t be able to afford to keep the lights on, let alone train their models.”
The cost of intelligence
The irony isn’t lost on anyone paying attention. The same technology that’s being used to manipulate Hungarian voters requires more energy than some small countries consume in a year. Training a single large language model can produce as much carbon as five cars over their entire lifetimes, according to a 2023 study by the University of Massachusetts.
“It’s the ultimate paradox,” says environmental campaigner James Thornton. “We’re using planet-killing amounts of energy to create machines that might one day help us solve the climate crisis. Or, in Hungary’s case, to spread lies about our neighbours.”
International response muted
The European Commission has issued a statement expressing “concern” about the AI videos in Hungary, but stopped short of calling them out as election interference. Meanwhile, the AI industry is lobbying frantically for government subsidies to offset their rising energy costs.
“This is exactly why we need a windfall tax on energy companies,” says Green MEP Molly Scott Cato. “Instead, we’re handing out corporate welfare to tech bros who are quite happy to see their technology used to undermine democracy.”
What happens next
Hungary goes to the polls on April 12th, with Orbán’s Fidesz party currently polling at 45% according to the latest surveys. If the AI videos have the desired effect, it could give Orbán the supermajority he needs to push through constitutional changes that would further entrench his grip on power.
As for the AI industry, analysts predict that up to 40% of European AI startups could fold within the next 18 months if energy prices remain at current levels. The survivors will likely be those with the deepest pockets or the most efficient algorithms – which, given the Hungarian situation, might not be the most comforting thought.
One thing’s for certain: whether it’s fake videos or fake economics, AI is proving to be the ultimate double-edged sword. And as usual, it’s ordinary people who are left holding the bloody thing when the cutting’s done.