In the latest episode of “Politics Down Under,” the Australian Labor Party (ALP) has unleashed an AI-generated spectacle that’s equal parts adorable and eyebrow-raising. Just when you thought politics couldn’t get any weirder, along comes an AI-generated cat, healed by Medicare—all to make a point about Peter Dutton. Yes, really.
While the video aims for a heartstring-tugging political jab, it’s landed the ALP in a litter box of controversy on social media. Critics are pouncing on the party’s use of AI, especially at a time when the role of artificial intelligence in political advertising is under intense scrutiny.
The video in question is a curious little creation: a seemingly app-generated AI clip starring an impossibly cute cat in a moment of distress. In this bizarre, semi-dystopian feline universe, the animated moggy is rushed to hospital—where its entire treatment is covered by Medicare. Fully recovered, our whiskered hero returns home to his cat children, just in time for a stirring rendition of Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?, performed, naturally, by a feline choir. It’s all strangely emotional until the video delivers its kicker: the cat opens a newspaper to find the front page emblazoned with the words: “Medicare at risk under Peter Dutton.” Subtle.
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The clip, shared by the Australian Labor Party on Instagram, was presumably intended as a cheeky bit of political theatre, playing on emotion while sliding in a jab at the Opposition Leader. But despite its cutesy packaging, the AI-generated ad has sparked a not-so-cute backlash—raising eyebrows, hackles, and some very fair questions about the use of AI in political advertising, especially at a time when artists are fighting to protect their craft.
“Alright, admin, you dropped it. You should know better than to use AI,” one unimpressed commenter declared.
“Please for the love of Medicare don’t use ai,” pleaded another.
Plenty of viewers took issue not with the message, but the medium. If Labor is so committed to the arts, critics asked, why not pay a human artist to create the animation?
“Why don’t you pay an animator instead of using AI?” one person asked, with more than a little outrage.
“AI art is bad, and parties of government shouldn’t promote it. Employ real graphic artists,” said another.
And in perhaps the most savage swipe: “Party of the workers using robots to half-ass animations rather than paying Australians for their content creation? Yeh that tracks. Probably approved a new coal mine just to fuel this nightmare,” another said in a very pointed attack.
Another commenter chimed in: “Using Ai is a nice way to highlight Labor’s attitude towards artists and the environment (you don’t care about either),” said another.
Still, not everyone was ready to send the clip straight to the digital sin bin. Some leapt to the party’s defence, arguing the very absurdity of using AI was the punchline.
“AI art is off-putting that’s why it’s funny it’s the whole point,” one commenter wrote.
B&T contacted the Labor Party over its digital strategy but received no response prior to publication.
This isn’t the first time recently that Labor has found itself in hot water over its social media posts. A recent Instagram post sparked controversy for parodying Sabrina Carpenter’s iconic outfit reveal during her Short and Sweet tour. The clip showed the star wrapped in a towel, slowly opening it to reveal Medicare coverage underneath. “Heartbreak is one thing, cutting healthcare’s another,” the party wrote, referencing Carpenter’s song Please, Please, Please.
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The short clip quickly divided opinions online. Many found it “clever,” while others—who perhaps missed the reference—called it “sexist.”
“What are we meant to think when seeing this ad?” another person asked. “Sorry but it makes Labor look like it’s back in the 1950s.”
“Really? Sexist or what?” another commenter questioned. “Just shows how far out of touch you clowns are with an ad like this!”
Just yesterday, Labor was under fire again for sharing a meme that featured a repurposed slogan linked to a racist meme. The post, which appeared on the Labor Party’s Facebook account, displayed a T-shirt with the slogan: “This is Australia. We eat meat, we drink beer, and we love Medicare.”
The phrase seemed to parody a slogan used by white supremacists: “This is Australia. We eat meat, we drink beer, and we speak f**kin’ English.”
After being contacted by The Sydney Morning Herald for clarification, Labor removed the post.
“The party acknowledges this post missed the mark and it has been deleted,” a spokesman for the party said.
Labor’s flirtation with AI-generated content isn’t a one-off stunt. The party previously came under attack after it posted an AI-crafted TikTok video featuring Peter Dutton dancing, a move that drew both chuckles and chiding.
@australianlabor Peter Dutton’s Nuclear Energy policy puts us all at risk. He barely has an energy plan but you can guarantee he has no plan to keep you safe. #australia #auspol #nuclear ♬ original sound – Australian Labor Party
As political campaigns increasingly dip their paws into the digital realm, the balance between innovation and ethical responsibility remains a tightrope walk. Whether this latest feline foray will be remembered as a purr-fect piece of political satire or a cat-astrophic misstep remains to be seen.
Regardless of where you land, the AI cat has done what all good political content aims to do: start a conversation, even if that conversation is just a bunch of people yelling in the comments about robots and Medicare.
