“Deepfakes can upset our democracies.”

In February 2025 the French president, Emmanuel Macron, used AI-generated deepfake videos to publicise the start of the AI Action Summit in Paris.

Collage of pages from the “Deepfakes can upset our democracies” teaching resource showing the cover and lesson plan

Published 14 March 2025

The fake clips showed the president edited into popular films. While some enjoyed it, Mr Macron faced criticism for publicly trivialising what others see as a potentially dangerous technology.

About this lesson

Use this lesson to help students:

  • Learn about deepfakes and how they are created
  • Discuss the potential impacts of deepfakes on society
  • Debate whether or not Mr Macron should have showed deepfakes of himself at the AI Action Summit

These teaching resources are supported by The PA Foundation. The Economist Educational Foundation maintained full editorial control.

Skills and knowledge

Every lesson has a skill and knowledge focus. Click to see this lesson's focus and some of the questions students will answer 

  • Problem solving

    Step 0: I complete tasks by following instructions
    Did you follow the instructions by showing a facial expression when responding to the questions?

    Step 5: I explore problems by thinking about the pros and cons of possible solutions
    Did you think about positive and negative consequences when you discussed the cards?

    Step 9: I create solutions for complex problems by generating a range of options
    Did you generate a range of options when creating rules or tips for how to protect people from deepfakes?

  • Knowledge

    I know what deepfakes are and can explain their potential impacts on society
    What are deepfakes? Why do people have different opinions about them?

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