Controversial Zaia re-elected in Veneto following AI campaign

 PADUA -- Luca Zaia,  the Veneto region’s long-serving President, was re-elected in the country-wide November regional elections, in part due to a digital campaign that has made waves across the Italian political landscape. The campaign, ‘Dopo Zaia scrivi Zai’, merged the President’s trademark blend of conservative separatism and pragmatic governance with a digitally curated vision of the Veneto region, generated by artificial intelligence.

Zaia is a representative of the conservative, separatist party Liga Venta, which is currently in a centre-right coalition alongside Forza Italia and Fratelli d'Italia, under the leadership of Giorgia Meloni. This coalition calls for greater devolution, repeatedly channeling regional resentment toward the perceived inefficiencies of the Roman state and the longstanding economic divide with Italy’s poorer south. Zaia has held his position for over 14 years with a number of historic landslide victories. He was first elected in 2010 and has been reelected three times, in 2015 and in 2020 and now in 2025.

His political record, however, is not without controversy. As a conservative politician, Zaia has spoken out against progressive policies, such as LGBTQ+ adoption and has attempted to restrict access to the RU-486 abortion pill. A pragmatist at heart, he has since aligned himself with the tide of public opinion, condemning rising instances of homophobia, antisemitism and transphobia throughout the region. The integration of AI into his campaign may prove to be Zaia’s most controversial move so far, even as it underscores his readiness to adapt to changing political trends. 

The 2025 campaign featured Leoncino, an AI-generated Venetian lion mascot, touring an idealised Veneto in short episodes released every two days across the region’s provinces. In a statement, Zaia claimed: “With this campaign, I speak to the people of Veneto from the heart..This story doesn’t end here. There is still much to do, to defend, and to build together, step by step, province by province.” 

New AI technologies are inexpensive, require very little training and allow campaigns to produce polished content at scale. However, critics argue that in presenting digital utopias, politicians risk alienating voters amid a cost-of-living crisis marked by high rents, stagnant wages and an exodus of young people seeking opportunities abroad. 

This campaign prompted a satirical response from opposition leader, Giovanni Manildo, of the Communist Refoundation Party, who launched his own AI campaign under the slogan ‘Pace, Salute, Lavoro’. The campaign calls attention to the significant structural challenges facing Veneto, including failing public services, the decline of the manufacturing industry and a lack of opportunities for the next generation. Manildo called for significant reinvestment in public services, in addition to affordable housing and social justice initiatives. 

This embrace of generative technology highlights a broader shift in political communication as voters found themselves caught between two AI-generated digital utopias in a clash between optimism and cynicism, conservative continuity and the resurgent left. Despite Zaia's success in the elections, questions continue to be raised about whether technology can effectively bridge the gap between political theatre and voter experience.

 khg-dp