Authenticity offensive: EU bodies ban AI images from their communication

The corridors of power in Brussels are to remain largely an algorithm-free zone – at least when it comes to visual external communication. Artificially generated content has long been flooding the internet, blurring the line between reality and fiction. The three main EU institutions are drawing a clear line. As internal guidelines show, the Commission, Parliament, and Council of Ministers have prohibited their press teams from using fully AI-generated videos and images in official communication.

With this step, the EU bodies want to make a statement for authenticity. They are convinced that their credibility is inextricably linked to the genuineness of their visual external representation. A spokesperson for the EU Commission explained in conversation with Politico that the material made available to journalists and the public will remain free of AI content. The goal is to promote citizens' trust, with authenticity being the top priority. However, technical optimizations, for example, for improved image quality, will still be permitted under strict conditions.

Transatlantic contrast and national experiments

The European approach contrasts with the practice in the USA. There, the use of AI tools is already part of the toolbox. US President Donald Trump regularly uses generated content to sharpen his messages. The range extends from bizarre videos about his ambitions in the Gaza Strip to AI images showing him in papal attire. AI has thus become a weapon for the US election campaign, seeking to generate attention at almost any cost.

However, even in Europe, the front line is not as closed as the Brussels ban suggests. National governments are also experimenting with the new possibilities here. In Germany, for example, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) uses the technology for educational purposes; in an Instagram clip, he featured a dancing deepfake version of himself to warn about the risks of the technology. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán used deepfakes to attack political opponents in the national election campaign and in Brussels.

Stagnation or necessary protection?

Not everyone likes the decision of the EU leadership. Experts point out that a complete renunciation could push the Brussels bodies into a backwater in a digital world. In geopolitical crises, where control over narratives online is often decided within minutes, the EU could appear paralyzed by its renunciation of modern tools. Renout Van Zandycke, a consultant for political communication, highlighted in Politico that the risk of deepfakes should not lead to a state of shock on the communication front.

The EU's AI Act only stipulates that generated content must be made transparent through watermarks or other indicators. OECD consultant Walter Pasquarelli sees a missed leadership opportunity in the new regulation: the institutions must show how transparent political communication works in the AI age.

(vbr)