The National Party has been exposed for using artificial intelligence-generated art in political attack ads without the knowledge of leader Christopher Luxon.

Political ads showing two nurses, criminals, a victim of crime, and an image in the likeness of a promotional movie poster for the Fast and Furious franchise have all been created by AI.

Speaking to media, Luxon denied using AI, saying: “No, [National isn’t using AI to make ads], not that I’m aware of.”

A National Party spokesperson said, however: “Yes we have used AI to create some stock images.

 “It’s an innovative way to drive our social media. As with all social media, we are committed to using it responsibly.”

When asked whether National was trying to avoid copyright claims against its ad material, Luxon said: “I don’t know about the topic in the sense of I am not sure.

“You are making an accusation that we are using it, I am not sure that we are [using AI]. I will need to talk to our team,” he said.

Luxon last week announced tax receipts to show taxpayers where their money was being spent, and deputy leader Nicola Willis’ suggestion AI could write them.

AI has become a controversial issue, with concerns about how students could use it to write work and pass it off as their own, and possible disruptions to how people work.

A bill has been introduced in the United States requiring AI-generated content in political ads to be disclosed after the Republican Party broadcast a television ad made entirely of AI-generated images.

Labour, meanwhile, said it hadn’t used AI in any adverts and didn’t intend to.