A deepfake video falsely claiming Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska purchased a $4.8 million Bugatti was created using AI and spread through Russian disinformation networks, garnering over 20 million views across social media platforms.
In July 2024, an AI-generated deepfake video was created showing a fabricated Bugatti dealership employee claiming that Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, purchased a Bugatti Tourbillon for 4.5 million euros during their visit to Paris on June 7. The video featured telltale signs of AI manipulation including unnatural lip movements, strange accent, and lack of neck movement. It first appeared on a French website called Verite Cachee France, which was registered on June 22, 2024, and is linked to a Russian disinformation network operated by John Mark Dougan, a former US police officer now living in Moscow. The video gathered 18 million views in 24 hours on X and over 20 million total views across X, Telegram, and TikTok. Bugatti Paris immediately denied the claim, stating no such transaction occurred and filing criminal complaints for forgery, identity theft, and defamation. The fabricated invoice contained multiple errors including incorrect pricing and missing legal details. Cybersecurity companies Recorded Future and Clarity confirmed the video showed high certainty for AI manipulation. The disinformation campaign was designed to undermine Western support for Ukraine by spreading false corruption narratives targeting American and British voters during election periods.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to conduct large-scale disinformation campaigns, malicious surveillance, or targeted and sophisticated automated censorship and propaganda, with the aim of manipulating political processes, public opinion, and behavior.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed