# A proof of concept: using generative image AI (Midjourney) to enhance a candidate’s image

Author: Fernando Nieto Lobato
Original publication: 2024-03-06
Spanish original: https://estrategiabyaleph.substack.com/p/estrategia-23-narrativas-visuales
English URL: https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/essays/023/
Status: Published translation

This is a translation of the original Spanish essay published on 6 March 2024. Its claims, examples and forecasts retain that historical context.

English publication: 2026-09-29

*Archive note: this March 2024 article documents an educational proof of concept. All thirteen illustrations below were generated with Midjourney 6 and depict invented scenes or stylised representations. None is a photograph of a real event.*



Artificial intelligence will radically change political communication over the coming years, offering powerful tools and new possibilities that will transform how politicians connect with their constituents.



Among these innovations, the ability to generate high-quality images with AI from nothing more than a text prompt stands out as a significant revolution—one that is practically here already. Generative image AI has reached very high levels of quality and is close to achieving full photorealism. Based on advanced algorithms and large datasets, these systems can create striking visuals that capture, communicate and reinforce political messages effectively and persuasively. The major novelty is that they do so at very low cost, putting these capabilities within anyone’s reach.



In a world where images carry considerable weight in shaping opinions and attitudes, the ability to generate convincing pictures tailored to a political campaign’s specific needs can provide a significant advantage in political communication and marketing.



With these premises in mind, over the past few days **we have been running several proofs of concept with Midjourney**, probably the most powerful image-generation AI currently available to the general public. **Our aim is not primarily to show what can be done today, but to give a sense of what any councillor in a small town will be able to do in a couple of years, very easily, from their own mobile phone and using their own likeness**. That still requires particular effort and technical knowledge today, but will soon be child’s play.



**For these tests with Midjourney version 6, we chose French President Emmanuel Macron as our “character”**. We wanted to move away from the usual US presidents, avoid anyone from Spanish-speaking countries so that the images could not easily be reused outside this educational context, and work with someone Midjourney could represent well natively. That last requirement will disappear in a few months, or would have required advanced techniques today.



Before we begin, we want to emphasise that **none of the following images is real: all were created with Midjourney 6**. We also used it in “simple” mode. On this occasion, we worked only with text prompts—we may try advanced techniques later—and used no inpainting, special upscaling or local retouching. Again, the idea is less to show what can already be done—despite Midjourney’s quality, small errors remain visible in many images—than what will certainly be easy to do on our own smartphones within a few months or very few years. A prime minister could very probably afford to have all these “real” images without generating them with AI, thanks to photographers following them around and large agencies with photo-retouching and design specialists to edit their pictures. The revolution, however, lies in democratising these capabilities: technology makes them technically straightforward for anyone to use, although a clear idea of what the images should achieve, and which ones to use, will still be needed.



## 1. “Real” images to strengthen a politician’s image



One of the first uses that comes to mind for generative image AI is creating pictures that reinforce a candidate’s positive qualities: leadership, familiarity with other international contexts, or closeness to ordinary people through playing a popular sport, for example.



[![AI-generated fictional image of Emmanuel Macron wearing a headset in an aircraft cockpit.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/c00569c6-316b-4dde-8bb4-5b6f8935df55_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6-OF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc00569c6-316b-4dde-8bb4-5b6f8935df55_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated fictional portrait of Macron in winter clothing against a snowy coastal landscape.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/443e6b15-39a6-49f8-8001-061a65a050ee_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_Ng!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F443e6b15-39a6-49f8-8001-061a65a050ee_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated fictional image of Macron running with a rugby ball outdoors.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/b0494a10-6bd9-43a8-83b6-64eabdf53d4f_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0i96!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0494a10-6bd9-43a8-83b6-64eabdf53d4f_1024x1024.png)



*These three scenes are synthetic illustrations from the original proof of concept.*



## 2. Images that support a candidate’s narrative



A next step could be to create **images that are not perceived as real but whose visual power could help sell particular narratives about a candidate**. These might use a more “realistic” style, comic-book designs, or even turn the candidate into an action figure.



[![AI-generated fictional depiction of Macron as a boxer with red gloves and blood on his face.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/37112120-4240-42cf-b0bb-7aab1920e05d_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ngg4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F37112120-4240-42cf-b0bb-7aab1920e05d_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated fictional depiction of Macron breaking through a wall.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/d5d29f48-23e3-412b-acb6-e01fc3f606bf_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_yXq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd5d29f48-23e3-412b-acb6-e01fc3f606bf_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated comic-book depiction of Macron pulling open his jacket in a heroic pose.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/b3fbfacb-576a-4009-bf20-5c304bf92aea_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hxJn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3fbfacb-576a-4009-bf20-5c304bf92aea_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated action figure resembling Macron, dressed in a suit and holding a toy rifle.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/a3f736cd-edb5-478b-9b5f-fe7c89c173b7_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dcb-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3f736cd-edb5-478b-9b5f-fe7c89c173b7_1024x1024.png)



*All four images are invented representations created for the original demonstration.*



## 3. The dangerous world of deepfakes: constructing a candidate’s past



One of the major dangers of generative image AI as it approaches full photographic quality is how easily it can create false pictures, such as the meeting with Biden. A mayor or member of a regional parliament would very probably be unable to fake this kind of meeting credibly. They might, however, construct a more interesting past for themselves, supported by visual “evidence”, as in the example of Macron on the day the Berlin Wall fell—obviously setting aside, in this case, the fact that he was not even a teenager at the time.



[![AI-generated fictional scene of Macron shaking hands with Joe Biden; not evidence of an actual meeting.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/21275371-6608-4c34-8e57-0614a2e7deaa_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_wsf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F21275371-6608-4c34-8e57-0614a2e7deaa_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated fictional scene placing an adult-looking Macron beside the Berlin Wall; an invented historical setting.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/0fc3a12f-9951-4d9a-91a2-4b31f9457b22_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UYPM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0fc3a12f-9951-4d9a-91a2-4b31f9457b22_1024x1024.png)



*These fabricated scenes illustrate the risk discussed in the article; neither documents an actual event.*



## 4. Deepfakes as an (illegal) way to attack opponents



Deepfakes of things a politician might have done in the past, or people they might have had dealings with, clearly cut both ways if others use their likeness without permission. In principle, AI tools’ terms of use reject this—we are using Macron solely for fully educational purposes here—but the capability exists. To avoid creating anything that could cause harm if taken out of context, such as placing Macron alongside a terrorist or drug trafficker, we offer a humorous example of this possibility:



[![AI-generated fictional, humorous scene of Macron shaking hands with Darth Vader.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/5f318146-faa8-471d-9757-58d6634041d6_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!a0pT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f318146-faa8-471d-9757-58d6634041d6_1024x1024.png)



*An invented scene from the educational demonstration.*



## 5. Critical or caricatured images



Political opponents may use a candidate’s image not to create deepfakes intended to pass as real—which will very probably be prohibited at several levels, although we fear it will happen a great deal—but to generate **critical or caricatured images**. They might depict an opponent as a despotic king, a sad Funko Pop figure, or a conventional caricature emphasising, for example, the candidate’s anger or madness.



[![AI-generated fantasy caricature of Macron wearing a crown and sitting on a throne made of swords.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/89d99ba0-408e-4741-aaef-4ce8a2165eb4_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UmIc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89d99ba0-408e-4741-aaef-4ce8a2165eb4_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated caricature of Macron as a sad, large-headed collectible figurine.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/1613949a-1067-401c-896e-f02dc009748e_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XfGs!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1613949a-1067-401c-896e-f02dc009748e_1024x1024.png)



[![AI-generated caricature of Macron with an exaggerated head and angry expression.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/8c3c9a2d-bb59-48dd-a22e-e133175b35f2_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wnyo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c3c9a2d-bb59-48dd-a22e-e133175b35f2_1024x1024.png)



*These are synthetic caricatures, not photographs.*



Fernando Nieto Lobato



*Director of Digital Innovation at Institución Educativa ALEPH*