Purportedly AI-Generated Video Reportedly Depicted Kosovo LDK Figure Hykmete Bajrami and Former Serbian List Leader Goran Rakiq Walking Hand in Hand

A purported AI-generated video is reported to have circulated on Facebook showing LDK parliamentary group chair Hykmete Bajrami and former Serbian List leader Goran Rakiq walking hand in hand. In addition to the video reportedly being generated by AI, its audio was purportedly stitched together from separate parts of Bajrami's Debat Plus interview.

Risk classification

• Primary risk domain: 4 Malicious actors
• Primary risk subdomain: 4.1 Disinformation, surveillance, and influence at scale

The deepfake video was created and shared on social media to manipulate public opinion and political processes during a sensitive political deadlock in Kosovo.

Additional risk subdomains

• 3.1 False or misleading information: The AI-generated video and spliced audio created a false narrative about a political alliance that did not exist.

Causal factors

• Entity: Human
• Intent: Intentional
• Timing: Post-deployment

The incident was caused by a human actor who intentionally created and distributed a deepfake video to mislead the public.

EU AI Act risk tier

• Risk tier: 3 Limited Risk

Limited Risk: The AI system was used to generate a deepfake, which falls under Limited Risk due to transparency obligations requiring disclosure of AI-generated content.

AI system and alleged parties

• AI system: unspecified
• AI purpose: Deepfake Video Generation; Voice Generation
• Behaviour type: Tool
• Alleged developer: Deepfake technology developers
• Alleged deployer: Information manipulation actors
• Alleged harmed parties: National security and intelligence stakeholders, Hykmete Bajrami, Goran Rakiq, General public of Kosovo, General public, Epistemic integrity, Democratic integrity

Harm severity

Severity ratings are based on this scale.

Highest direct severity in any category: Minor. Severity is scored from Negligible to Catastrophic in each harm category, for harm the reports describe as caused directly or indirectly by the AI system.

• Physical: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Infrastructure: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Property: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Financial: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Environmental: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Malicious content: direct Minor, indirect Negligible
• Differential treatment: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Civil rights: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Democracy: direct Minor, indirect Negligible
• Privacy: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Psychological: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible
• Epistemic: direct Minor, indirect Negligible
• Child sexual exploitation and abuse: direct Negligible, indirect Negligible

Malicious content

Reported: The report explicitly describes malicious content in the form of a fabricated deepfake video created to mislead the public.

Directly caused: A deepfake video was posted on Facebook falsely depicting a political figure holding hands with an opponent.

Democracy

Reported: The report explicitly describes the dissemination of political disinformation during a sensitive political deadlock in Kosovo.

Directly caused: The deepfake aimed to manipulate public opinion regarding political coalitions and undermine trust in political figures.

Inferred additional harm: The spread of such deepfakes can further destabilize the political environment and erode trust in democratic institutions.

Epistemic

Reported: The report explicitly describes epistemic harm in the form of a fabricated video and spliced audio creating a false narrative.

Directly caused: A deepfake video falsely depicted Hykmete Bajrami holding hands with a Serbian List leader, accompanied by spliced audio.

Inferred additional harm: Such fabrications contribute to the erosion of shared truth and public trust in media.

People affected

• Occurrences reported: 1
• People reportedly harmed: 1
• People reportedly exposed: 1000

Potential causes

Technology

• AI Video Generation: AI tools were used to fabricate a realistic video of politicians holding hands.
• Audio Splicing: Audio from separate interview parts was merged to create a false statement.

Data Inputs

• Debat Plus Interview Footage: Authentic interview statements were used as raw input for manipulation.

Human Factors

• Malicious Facebook Poster: An account shared the deepfake to manipulate public opinion during deadlock.

Information quality

• Classification confidence: High
• Reason for confidence: The report clearly describes the creation and dissemination of a political deepfake, verified by a fact-checking organization using detection tools. The details of the fabrication and the political context are well-documented.
• Ambiguities identified: The specific AI tool used to generate the deepfake is not named, and the exact reach on Facebook is not specified.
• Alternative interpretations: None.

A deepfake video and spliced audio targeting a prominent Kosovo politician sought to manufacture a false political alliance during a sensitive political deadlock. While the incident represents a minor national security concern due to rapid debunking, it highlights the persistent threat of AI-enabled disinformation targeting political stability.

• Overall national security impact: Minor
• Scope: Single nation
• Primary target: Kosovo
• Alleged perpetrator: Unknown

Threat characteristics

• Imminence: Long-term. The specific incident has been resolved and debunked, but the use of political deepfakes remains an ongoing strategic concern.
• Autonomy: Human-controlled. The AI tools were used strictly as instruments by human creators to generate the false media.
• Novelty: Established threat. Political deepfakes and audio splicing are well-established methods of disinformation with many prior precedents.

Impact by dimension

• Physical security: Negligible. No physical threats, kinetic actions, or critical infrastructure compromises were reported in connection with this incident.
• Information security: Minor. An AI-generated deepfake video was used to conduct a targeted disinformation campaign against a Kosovo political leader, though it was quickly debunked by fact-checkers.
• Sovereignty: Minor. The deepfake targeted political leadership during a sensitive government deadlock, attempting to manipulate political perceptions, though it did not disrupt core government functions.
• Economic security: Negligible. No financial systems, strategic technologies, or economic infrastructures were affected by this political deepfake.
• Societal stability: Minor. The fabrication attempted to exploit political and ethnic sensitivities between Kosovo and Serbian political groups, posing a minor threat to social cohesion.