Science & Tech · AI · 5 hrs ago
AI-generated political ads surged during the US midterms
AI-generated political ads appeared on an unprecedented scale during the US midterm campaign season, which has just ended.
The Wesleyan Media Project counted 289 such ads and estimated spending exceeded $187 million, compared with less than $50,000 during the 2024 election season.
The group said its latest estimate is likely low because some ads had no AI disclaimers and some uses of AI are hard to spot.
Republican candidates and allies funded 82% of the ads, while Democratic campaigns aired 13% and other parties accounted for the rest.
Some ads used fabricated, extreme scenes to portray political opponents as dangerous or incompetent.
Several candidates featured in the ads lost their races, including Oregon Republican Jonathan Lockwood and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.
The campaign season is over, but the scale of AI use and the difficulty of identifying it point to continued concern about political advertising.
Spending on AI-generated campaign ads during the US midterm election cycle surpassed $187 million, according to an October report by the Wesleyan Media Project.
The project identified 289 AI-generated ads aired during the midterms.
Republican candidates or their allies funded 82% of the ads, while Democratic campaigns aired 13%.
The report said its spending estimate was likely lower than the actual total because some ads lacked disclaimers and some AI use was difficult to detect.
Several candidates featured in AI-generated ads lost or had not secured a win at the time of the article.
- Who
- Candidates and their allies from both major parties used AI-generated political ads.
- What
- The Wesleyan Media Project identified 289 AI-generated ads during the election cycle, with spending surpassing $187 million.
- When
- During the US midterm election cycle; the article was published on November 4, 2026.
- Where
- The United States.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Filmmaker Charles Curran posted an AI-generated video supporting Spencer Pratt’s bid for Los Angeles mayor.
Lockwood’s campaign Facebook page posted an AI-generated ad depicting his Democratic opponents.
The Wesleyan Media Project reported that spending on AI-generated ads during the election cycle had surpassed $187 million.
The US midterms took place, according to the article.
- AI ad spending
- More than $187 million during the election cycle
- Ads identified
- 289
- Republican share
- 82% of the ads, funded by Republican candidates or allies
- Democratic share
- 13% of the ads were aired by Democratic campaigns
- Other parties
- 5% of the ads
- Ad spending estimate
- Under $50,000 went to AI ads during the 2024 election season
What people are saying
almost surely lower than the actual level of spending given that many ads do not contain disclaimers and some instances of AI use are difficult to determine with the human eye alone.
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