AI Amplifies Misinformation Threatening New Zealand Elections

Commentators warn generative AI is flooding social media with low-quality, misleading 'AI slop,' citing fake images of January's Mount Maunganui landslide and rising deepfakes ahead of New Zealand's 2026 general election. They argue current laws lack AI disclosure requirements or broad prohibitions on misleading ads, and recommend extending the false-statement ban, requiring disclosure of AI-generated campaign content, and adopting disinformation registers.