Full Breakdown
One Nation’s AI-Generated Campaign Video Fuels Debate Over Election-Era Technology
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
At the Victorian campaign launch in early October, One Nation unveiled an AI-generated advertisement showing a young man of African appearance wielding a machete and a figure in a suicide-vest of Middle-Eastern appearance. Deputy leader Colleen Harkin denied the clip was racist, stating, “I don’t accept the premise that it is racist.” The video, shared on the party’s Facebook page, quickly attracted criticism for its reliance on racial stereotypes.
Background & Context
The video appears amid a tightly contested Victorian state election, where the Liberal Party, the Labor Party, and One Nation vie for marginal seats. One Nation’s platform emphasizes stricter migration limits and law-and-order messaging, positioning the party as a protest alternative to the two major parties. Political campaigns are increasingly employing artificial-intelligence tools to craft messaging and answer voter queries, prompting concerns about AI’s influence on public perception.
Data & Statistics
A study by digital-marketing firm Topham Guerin examined 200 AI-generated answers comparing Victorian parties on policy issues. Results showed:
- Labor mentioned in all 200 answers.
- Liberal Party and Nationals each appeared in 199 answers.
- Greens appeared in 178 answers.
- One Nation appeared in only 43 answers, and just four of the seven AI systems queried ever searched for the party.
The research, based on snapshots taken on September 22, concluded that AI tools tend to omit parties with limited online policy content, rather than exhibiting intentional bias.
Official Statements & Responses
- Colleen Harkin reiterated that the video was intended to highlight “big issues” such as crime and social cohesion, rejecting claims of prejudice.
- Ben Guerin, chief executive of Topham Guerin, said the AI’s lower coverage of One Nation reflects the party’s sparse online policy information, not deliberate bias.
Criticism & Opposition
Interview host Raf Epstein challenged Harkin on the video’s reliance on group-based stereotypes, labeling it “the definition of prejudice.” Harkin’s brief retort—“So?”—was noted as a direct rebuttal.
On-the-Ground Reports
In Tasmania, the Richmond Reading Room café displayed a sign promising to donate any money from One Nation customers to the Tasmanian Greens after the video’s release. Owner Dana Stevens described the ad as “offensive, racist AI slop,” highlighting local backlash.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Topham Guerin analysis does not demonstrate that AI-generated answers altered voter behavior, nor does it establish deliberate suppression of One Nation content. No independent audit has verified the AI systems’ training data or the extent to which party-generated content influences electoral outcomes.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I don't accept the premise that it is racist,” — Colleen Harkin, deputy leader, One Nation (Victoria)
- “I think climate changes all the time” — Colleen Harkin, deputy leader, One Nation (Victoria)
- “If a party doesn't set out its policies clearly on its own site, and what the media and others say about them is thin, the AI has less to work with, so it says less.” — Ben Guerin, chief executive, Topham Guerin
What’s Next
The Victorian Electoral Commission has not announced any regulatory changes concerning AI-generated political advertising, leaving the impact of such content on the upcoming election largely untested.