Former Colombian President Calls for Global Digital Activism to Counter Election Bots in Brazil
Gustavo Petro urged the creation of an international network of human digital activists to flood social media with pro-Lula messages and dilute the impact of AI-driven bots supporting Flávio Bolsonaro.
At a lecture titled “Colombia Facing the Abyss” during Mexico City’s Zócalo Book Fair, former Colombian leader Gustavo Petro highlighted alleged AI-driven election interference in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. He claimed that bots are being deployed to amplify support for Brazil’s far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, each capable of producing up to 5,000 daily posts. Petro suggested a coordinated global digital activism campaign, enlisting volunteers from cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and Madrid to publish pro-Lula messages in Portuguese.
He argued that human-generated content could neutralise the bots’ influence and help voters discern authentic information. The proposal is presented as a way for progressive movements to counter the massive financial resources behind disinformation campaigns.
Why it matters
It highlights a cross-border effort to combat AI-driven political disinformation in a pivotal Brazilian election.
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