The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has declared that the use of AI-generated images of people in election campaigns is illegal in Russia.
The court noted that a dispute arose over this issue due to propaganda leaflets of the Russian Communist Party entitled "Every vote matters to us," which were used during the election campaign for the Chelyabinsk Regional Legislative Assembly. 1,658 copies were printed and pasted on billboards and inside elevators in buildings. These leaflets displayed a picture of a family (father, mother, child, and grandfather) in a style resembling Soviet propaganda posters. These images were generated using artificial intelligence techniques to create positive images aimed at appealing to emotions and gaining the sympathy of voters. The Chelyabinsk District Election Commission deemed these leaflets illegal and filed a lawsuit.
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation appealed the committee's decision to the court. The lower court overturned the committee's ruling, but the appeals court overturned the decision and dismissed the case. The Communist Party then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.
The ruling issued by the Russian Supreme Court on the matter stated: "The plaintiff (the Communist Party), with the aim of encouraging voters to vote for the candidates of its electoral bloc, generated images of attractive people using artificial intelligence. This is contrary to the provisions of Article 48 of Federal Law No. 67-FZ of June 12, 2002."
The court's press service said: "We decided to uphold the Court of Appeal's decision and reject the appeal filed by the Chelyabinsk branch of the Communist Party."
