Mexico: AI and deepfakes target journalists

Reporters Without Borders documented at least 100 journalists targeted by deepfakes in 27 countries, including Mexico, between December 2023 and December 2025. The finding appeared in an Expansión report on how artificial intelligence is making digital attacks against journalists more sophisticated.

Deepfakes targeting journalists

RSF's review covers victims in 27 countries and points to a new kind of pressure on journalism, with synthetic content being used to intensify attacks on identity and reputation. In Mexico's case, the report places it among the affected countries, although the available material does not spell out specific cases in the cited report.

AI in leaks and attacks

At the same time, El Economista reported that artificial intelligence is involved in one in four malicious leaks worldwide and in 19% of attacks in Latin America. The publication also said companies in Mexico are still only partially automating their defenses, a sign that defensive adoption is moving forward, but not fully.

Taken together, the two reports show two open fronts in the region. On one side, AI is being used for identity fraud, phishing and assisted intrusions. On the other, it is being folded into defense tasks to speed detection and response in Latin American SOCs, in a transition that is already on the agenda for Mexican companies.

Regional view

The available material suggests a regional pattern, with Mexico appearing on both sides of the equation, as a target of AI-assisted attacks and as a market where defensive automation is still partial. Brazil is mentioned in that broader frame, but the sources provided do not add a verified fact that would support going beyond that reference.