A surge of artificial intelligence-generated content has flooded Canada’s online space during the 2025 federal election, prompting researchers to call this campaign the country’s most dystopian to date. According to Aengus Bridgman of the Ontario-based Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO), the void left by traditional news coverage has been filled with AI-created videos, memes, and impersonations of real news sources.
Despite the flood of misleading content, Bridgman, who is also a professor at McGill University, said there is no current evidence that Canadian voters have been widely manipulated. He noted that while the volume and sophistication of AI-generated material is unprecedented, Canadians appear more skeptical and vigilant than in past elections.
Much of the content included deepfake videos of politicians and fabricated memes. Some AI-generated posts also mimicked legitimate news outlets to promote scams, including cryptocurrency investment schemes. In one case, AI repurposed a former Facebook marketplace page to support a fringe political cause advocating U.S. statehood for parts of Canada.
The phenomenon gained traction after Meta, in response to the Online News Act (Bill C-18), blocked news access for Canadians on its platforms in August 2023. The law, which took effect in June 2023, requires companies like Meta and Google to pay news organizations for hosting their content. Bridgman said the blackout effectively removed credible news sources from the platforms just as Canadians began heading into an election season, leaving a gap that was quickly filled by unregulated AI content.
“It feels ‘Black Mirror’-esque, it feels dystopian,” Bridgman said, referencing the tech-themed Netflix series. “Meta has somehow decided that this is OK.”
In response, Meta spokesperson Julia Perreira said the company has invested heavily in safety and security, with around 40,000 staff working in those areas, including 15,000 content moderators. She also noted that Meta partnered with Elections Canada this year to help provide accurate voting information.
Bridgman said that while platforms like Facebook were inundated with synthetic content, more Canadians turned to traditional news websites for election information this year than in previous cycles. He also noted a notable shift in how politicians and voters are using newer platforms like TikTok and Bluesky.
Data from the MEO showed differing patterns of political engagement across platforms. Conservatives had a slight edge on X and Instagram, while Liberal candidates dominated interactions on Bluesky. Bridgman warned that such platform-based divides could amplify political polarization by shaping how different segments of the population perceive the election.
“I’m very concerned about the online information ecosystem,” he said. “We’re kind of in an interesting moment.”
The MEO, which launched during the 2019 federal election, receives funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and other foundations. In this campaign, researchers analyzed around 5,000 social media accounts, including influencers, politicians, podcasters, and Canadian news outlets active across platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Telegram.