BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — As artificial intelligence permeates every aspect of our lives, it’s no surprise that its use in political campaigns is on the rise, leading experts to question whether AI-powered messaging is the future of campaigns.
Earlier this month, a video supporting Republican Spencer Pratt’s Los Angeles mayoral race went viral. The video depicts current mayor Karen Bass as a fantasy-style villain, and shows Los Angeles in scenes filled with chaos and fire created using artificial intelligence. One line in the video says, “If you loved the last four years, you’ll love the next four.”
Although the viral video was not an official campaign ad, some candidates are using AI in directly supporting campaign materials, including state Board of Equalization candidate Yvonne Yu.
Political science professor Nate Monroe said the technology is rapidly changing the way campaigns and voters communicate. “The ability to produce the same content that we wanted to produce for our campaigns two years ago, and especially four years ago, is now cheaper and has fewer boundaries,” Monroe says.
AI-generated political content is also emerging in Kern County. A local political action committee recently sent out text messages with AI-generated ads supporting Measure A. “The time has come for Kern County to exercise even more local control,” the message said.
To demonstrate how quickly you can create this type of content, I created a sample voting video using several publicly available AI tools. This process took only a few minutes.
“Things have changed at a rate unlike any other similar period in modern political history over the past 20 years,” Monroe said. “Every cycle is changing, and we don’t know when it will end.”
The speed of technology also poses challenges for lawmakers. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, some states have passed laws targeting certain types of AI-generated political content, including deepfakes. In California, part of a recent law regulating some AI-generated election content was temporarily blocked by a federal judge during a constitutional challenge.
Despite the rapid changes, Monroe said voters should still approach online content with caution. “To the extent possible, you are responsible for the information you allow to influence your decisions. AI will not change that,” he says. “If you’re thinking of using it as part of your decision-making, please double-check it immediately.”
