Kássio Nunes Marques, the president of the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE), said that artificial intelligence could spread misinformation to mislead voters [1].

The warning comes as Brazil prepares for the 2026 elections, where the ability to generate realistic deepfakes could undermine public trust in the democratic process. Balancing the protection of election integrity with the preservation of freedom of expression remains a central challenge for the court.

During his inauguration ceremony in Brasília, Nunes Marques said the misuse of technology poses a significant risk to the stability of the vote [1]. He specifically highlighted "casos de utilização inadequada" — cases of inadequate use — regarding how AI tools might be deployed to manipulate public opinion [3].

While most reports date the inauguration speech to May 12, 2026 [1], some sources cite May 13, 2026, as the date of the warning [2]. Regardless of the specific day, the new leadership of the TSE is prioritizing the security of electronic voting machines and the mitigation of digital threats.

Nunes Marques did not act alone in this leadership transition. André Mendonça was appointed as the vice-president of the TSE [3]. Together, they are tasked with overseeing a landscape where AI-generated content can be produced at scale and distributed rapidly across social platforms.

The president of the court said the goal is to ensure clean elections. This involves creating safeguards that can identify synthetic media without infringing on the legal rights of candidates to communicate with the electorate [1].

The TSE's focus on AI follows a global trend of election monitors flagging generative AI as a primary threat to the 2026 cycle. The court intends to monitor the dissemination of false content to prevent the destabilization of the electoral environment [2].

“artificial intelligence could be used to create and spread misinformation that may mislead voters”

The TSE's proactive stance on AI reflects a growing concern among global democratic institutions regarding 'synthetic misinformation.' By centering AI risks during the inauguration, the court is signaling that technical regulation and rapid response to deepfakes will be as critical to the 2026 Brazilian elections as the physical security of the electronic ballot boxes.