AI deepfakes gain popularity ahead of the midterms
Stills from AI-generated political ads; Images: WSJ | AdImpact
Campaign ads featuring AI-generated images and videos once sounded more like political satire than reality.
Now they're becoming a regular feature of American elections, with candidates and outside groups using AI to promote, attack, and grab voters' attention.
In recent months, AI-generated campaign content has depicted Texas Senate candidate James Talarico singing about transgender children, Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers as a superhero rescuing civilians, and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt as Batman battling an incumbent portrayed as the Joker.
It comes from both sides of the aisle
Republican primary candidates in Kentucky used AI-generated ads depicting GOP Rep. Thomas Massie in a fictional “throuple” with progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
- In Georgia, AI-generated campaign ads have portrayed Republican candidates shooting guns, fighting each other, and shoveling money into furnaces.
- Andrew Cuomo used AI in a mayoral campaign ad in NYC depicting himself performing a variety of jobs, from subway conductor to stockbroker.
It’s easier than ever to use AI deepfakes. Cybersecurity firm DeepStrike estimates the number of deepfakes shared online increased from ~500,000 in 2023 to ~8 million last year, while some researchers say changes to social media moderation have made manipulated content easier to spread.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are still grappling with how to regulate the technology. Roughly 30 states have passed laws restricting election-related deepfakes, though legal experts say enforcement can be challenging since political speech receives strong First Amendment protections.
Looking ahead to November: The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up as a dead heat at this point. While Democrats currently lead Republicans by a margin of 47.9%–42.9% on a generic congressional ballot, per RealClearPolitics, the party's path to victory in November has become more challenging following recent redistricting efforts in several GOP-led states.
Democrats now need to outperform their 2024 national results by 4.9 percentage points to win back the House, up from 3.1 points before the latest round of map changes, per a new Axios analysis.
📊 Flash poll: If the November elections were held today, which party’s candidate would you vote for?
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that advances in artificial intelligence could dramatically change political campaigns by making it easier to create persuasive messages, analyze voter behavior, and tailor outreach at scale, raising concerns that the technology could deepen political polarization and make it harder for voters to distinguish genuine engagement from manipulation.
- Others contend that as AI-generated political ads become more realistic and difficult to detect, voters will need to approach campaign content with greater skepticism, arguing that digital literacy, fact-checking, and stronger safeguards from technology platforms will be essential for helping people separate fact from fiction during elections.
- “Political Campaigns Have No Idea What’s About to Hit Them” –Thomas B. Edsall, NY Times
- “Can you spot a fake political ad? AI is making it harder.” –Darrell M. West, Washington Post
- “Massachusetts should require disclosure of AI in political advertising” –Boston Globe Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that concerns about AI-generated political ads are often overstated, contending that satire, parody, and other forms of AI-assisted political speech are a natural extension of long-standing campaign tactics and should be protected under free speech principles rather than restricted through government regulation.
- Others contend that while AI may make deceptive campaign ads more convincing, dishonest political messaging is nothing new, arguing that deepfakes are simply the latest tool in a long history of misleading claims that voters will need to navigate.
- “AI Is Remaking Election Speech. That’s Not Necessarily a Bad Thing.” –David Inserra, Cato Institute
- “Government can regulate deepfakes, but campaign lies won't die” – Republican-American Editorial Board
- “Breaking the hypnotic spell of misinformation” –The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
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