Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt on Tuesday reposted a scathing AI-generated ad on X that makes Los Angeles look like a dark hellscape under its current leadership.
Flames engulf the Hollywood sign in this viral video created by filmmaker Charlie Curran. Socialist militia patrol the streets. And California’s political leadership, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, is portrayed as a royal bourgeoisie with little regard for the plight of their subjects.
Then a hero appears to save the day. It’s Pratt, or at least the Batman-esque version of the vigilante.
The repost was posted the day before Pratt was scheduled to face off against his mayoral rivals, incumbent Karen Bass and City Council member Nitya Raman.
For weeks, Pratt, a former reality TV star, has been talking to Bass and Raman about important issues such as wildfire response, homelessness and public safety.
“It’s easy for Karen Basra and Nithya Raman to claim that ‘crime has gone down’ by simply stopping enforcement. 60,000 field drug zombies are committing multiple felonies every day,” Pratt wrote in an April 19 post.
Basu and Raman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the AI video.
As of Wednesday, the clip had 3.6 million views. Former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush called it “probably the best political ad of the year.”
Mr. Curran also did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it is unclear whether he is connected to Mr. Pratt’s campaign.
Steve Caplan, a political advertising expert who teaches at the University of Southern California, said AI-generated election ads could become commonplace in the future. “It’s cheap, it’s fast, and consultants don’t want to spend money on production. We can turn it around in a few hours,” he says.
Caplan said the shock value and attention-grabbing nature of Pratt AI videos may not translate into turnout.
First, Hollywood workers, who are experiencing a production drain, may be furious about the AI push. He pointed out that Los Angeles is also a Democratic-majority city.
“In elections where Democrats are likely to vote, there is a much narrower base to operate in,” he says. “I’m very skeptical of the idea that there are enough voters who are going to align with this message to win an election like LA.”
