Ahead of US Midterm Elections, 220 AI-Generated Campaign Ads Emerge, Costing Over $137 Million in Total
As the November 3 congressional midterm elections approach, a large number of AI-generated campaign ads have appeared on US television and social media. The Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks US elections, said it has identified 220 political ads nationwide that were at least partly generated using AI tools, with total spending exceeding $137 million, while the organization identified less than $50,000 in AI-generated ad spending during the 2024 election cycle. Of these ads, 81% were sponsored by Republican candidates or groups, 12% by Democrats, and the rest by independent candidates or groups, and many of the ads attacking opponents were not labeled as AI-generated.
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The Wesleyan Media Project has counted 220 AI political ads costing over $137 million, comparable to the scale of under $50,000 in the 2024 cycle.
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+1 A flood of AI campaign ads "bombards" the US midterm elections Jing Jing / Xinhua News Agency 2026-10-26 15:54 Future 2% > Listen to full text Font size
As the November 3 congressional midterm elections approach, a large number of campaign ads generated by artificial intelligence (AI)—which researchers call "slopaganda"—have appeared on US television and social media. Many of the ads attack political opponents and are not labeled as AI-generated.
According to an Agence France-Presse report on the 26th, the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks US elections, said it has identified 220 political ads nationwide that at least partly used AI tools, with total spending exceeding $137 million. By comparison, the organization identified less than $50,000 in AI-generated ad spending during the 2024 election cycle.
On October 16, voters cast early ballots at a polling station in Bangor, Maine. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Rui
The organization said that of these AI-made ads, 81% were sponsored by Republican candidates or groups, 12% by Democrats, and the rest by independent candidates or groups. However, because a comprehensive count is difficult, the overall number of AI political ads is largely underestimated.
Democratic US Senator Jon Ossoff said in an interview with C-SPAN in September: "It is deeply disturbing to see these deepfake videos used to fabricate political ads. This will erode the truth in political debate step by step."
On October 22, voters headed to polling stations to cast early ballots in Paris, Texas. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Xiaoling
In a recent survey, 73% of respondents said AI-generated images or videos should not be used in political campaigns. 95% of respondents said it is unacceptable to use video to fabricate statements that an opponent never made.
The NYU Center for Technology Policy said in a report earlier this month that political "slopaganda" may be more effective at mobilizing voters to go to the polls or raise funds, and has a relatively small impact on "choosing whom to vote for." This kind of AI-fabricated advertising may spark discussion for a time, but it is difficult to keep people's attention, and even harder for it to settle into lasting political perceptions. In particular, when low-quality AI-generated content floods the market, people become "immune" to it. Responsible editor: Huan Yanhong. The Paper news tip: 021-962866. The Paper, unauthorized reproduction prohibited +1 Favorite I want to report #AI ads View more