TEXAS — The final shot of Dallas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s latest campaign ad for the U.S. Senate race is raising eyebrows because artificial intelligence may have been used to depict her surrounded by a large crowd. Keith Edwards, a Democratic strategist and popular YouTuber, claimed that the image contained “an invisible digital identifier that Google uses to verify content created by AI.”
Crockett’s campaign said the cartoon-style ad was created through “hundreds of hours of actual production and collaboration with creators and unions.” However, she did not directly address whether her campaign used AI in its ads.
On the Republican side, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn altered the image in his campaign ad for challenger Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. He dressed up Mr Hunt as the character from the book “Where’s Wally” in an attack on Mr Hunt’s absence from the parliamentary vote.
“In my opinion, we just need to adapt to the AI era and make an effort to increase the AI literacy of our population,” said Kevin Frazier, director of AI innovation at the University of Texas School of Law.
The video of Cornyn dancing with Crockett is a more obvious use of AI in political advertising. This is part of an ad by Cornyn’s top Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. It reveals the use of AI in the final shot.
Frazier argues that all uses of AI should be disclosed in political ads.
“We can tell to some extent whether an image or an ad is generated by AI, but not to the point of banning its use or imposing any kind of heavy-handed laws,” he said. “This should be a political, values-based conversation, and it can vary from state to state.”
During last year’s regular legislative session, state Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) pushed a bill that would require candidates and political committees to disclose the use of modified media in their ads.
Mr. Phelan fell victim to the AI during the tough Republican primary, and his campaign emails included a doctored image of Mr. Phelan embracing prominent Democrat Nancy Pelosi. The bill received opposition from hard-line conservatives.
“My goal is to prevent someone from using artificial intelligence, deepfakes, or other fake media that never happened to influence or alter an election,” Phelan said in an April 2025 debate.
Phelan’s bill passed the House with Democratic support but died in the Senate. Ultimately, Frazier believes it’s up to Texans to educate candidates on the best and ethical uses of AI.
“If you don’t like the way someone is running a campaign, if you think they’re engaging in a 21st century version of a blackmail campaign, using your vote can be very effective,” Frazier said.
Early voting for the Texas primary begins next Tuesday.
