The Wesleyan Media Project identified 220 AI-generated political ads

Oct 26

1. 17:03

   Yicai

   A large number of unlabeled AI-generated campaign ads have emerged ahead of the US midterm elections

   According to Xinhua News Agency citing Agence France-Presse, as the November 3 congressional midterm elections approach, a large number of AI-generated campaign ads have appeared on US television and social media, many of which are used to attack opponents and are not labeled as AI-generated. 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; by comparison, the organization identified less than $50,000 in spending on AI-generated ads during the 2024 election cycle.

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2. 17:03

   YicaiRelated discussion

   Yicai joined this discussion ↗

   This post contributes to heat; it is not a formal report or confirmed fact.

3. 15:54

   The Paper

   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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