At least 15 campaign ads featuring AI-generated content have been run since November, raising concerns that the now ubiquitous technology could confuse or mislead voters in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
In state, local, and federal elections across the country, AI is being used in everything from school board campaigns to gubernatorial races to enhance speech, turn politicians into cartoons, and, in one notable case in Massachusetts, mimic the voices of rival politicians.
In the state gubernatorial race, Republican primary candidate Brian Shortsleeve’s campaign created an AI-generated radio ad that sounded like Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, using Healey’s “voice” to talk about things that weren’t actually about the state’s economy. The clip doesn’t include a clear AI disclaimer, instead the caption says this is what her radio ad would sound like “if she were honest.” Short Sleeve’s campaign also released an AI-generated video depicting Healy as the Grinch and hissing with red eyes, neither of which included an explicit AI disclaimer.
Patrick Nelson, Short Sleeve’s communications director, said the campaign uses AI to educate voters in “creative, humorous and entertaining” ways, adding that it has a policy of disclosing the use of AI when a person is portrayed in a way that is “not obvious to a reasonable viewer.” Healey’s campaign referred NBC News to a statement from the Massachusetts Democratic Party in February.
“He needs to stop lying to voters and tell the truth. He will be a rubber stamp against President Trump’s harmful policies,” said Steve Kerrigan, chairman of MassDemoms.
More recently, the National Republican Senatorial Committee released an AI-generated video last week of Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico reading out actual tweets about race and transgender rights. Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis responded to the ad by saying Republican primary candidates are “afraid” of Democrats, according to CNN. Talarico’s campaign declined NBC News’ request for comment.
At the local level, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent New York City mayoral campaign used AI in several ads, including one depicting a criminal supporting current Mayor Zoran Mamdani. And in Texas, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, whose U.S. Senate campaign’s use of AI drew attention and much scrutiny, also featured her likeness in a Republican AI ad.
This ad shows that AI isn’t just emerging for political campaigns, it’s already here. Now, the question is where the boundaries are, both legally and ethically.
“I hope we can all agree that whenever generative AI is used to create misleading messages or images, it’s a negative thing,” said Mark Jablonowski, CEO of progressive advertising firm DSPolitical. “If you try to be deceptive or try to get something that doesn’t exist, that’s a big problem.”
AI video generators have grown exponentially in recent years, starting with crude and sometimes bizarre clips and now being able to create surreal media that requires especially close inspection to determine the origin of the composition.
The cost of producing political ads is not cheap. Costs can range from about $1,000 to several orders of magnitude more, depending on factors such as production costs, casting, post-production costs and distribution, according to media buying and marketing firm Media Culture. AI-generated images can save money for small campaigns with few resources, and even larger ones.
“It’s not the overall size of the campaign itself. The question is, are you hiring an advertising agency that needs to do this on a low-margin, high-margin basis, or do you need to re-plan very quickly within a certain period of time?” says Todd Belt, a professor and director of the political management program at George Washington University.
But efficiency comes with the risk of misleading voters. Jablonowski said a bigger concern with AI-generated images in political communications is if the individuals creating those products don’t follow ethical guidelines.
The use of AI in political advertising is primarily regulated at the state level. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 26 states have enacted laws regulating the use of political deepfakes, which use AI to create seemingly realistic images and sounds, either requiring their release within a certain period of time before an election or banning their use. Some state legislatures, including Maine and Vermont, have introduced bills that would require the disclosure of AI-generated images in political ads.
At the federal level, AI regulation remains vague. In 2023, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Representative Yvette Clark of New York introduced the Real Political Advertising Act, which would require AI disclosure for political ads. Neither bill reached a vote in their respective chambers.
Jablonowski believes AI-generated ads will only increase as the midterm elections approach, but that politicians will outweigh them.
“The good news is that most campaigns on both sides of the aisle probably want to do the right thing,” Jablonowski said. “Of course, there will be instances where you can point out that people are going about it in the wrong direction.”
