This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns are the first in which AI-generated political ads are regularly appearing on people's televisions and social media feeds. We are researchers who have been studying political advertising through the Wesleyan Media Project since 2010.
This election cycle—using data from media reports, student coders and AdImpact, a firm that tracks political ad spending—we've tracked about $80 million in spending on almost 170 unique ads that use AI. What we found has surprised us: AI use ranges from hyperrealistic deepfakes to subtle enhancements; Republican sponsors—both candidates and interest groups—are much more likely to use AI than are Democratic sponsors; and, thanks to a patchwork of state legislation, many of these ads do not disclose the use of AI at all. An assortment of politicians and watchdog groups have expressed concern about campaigns using generative AI to produce deepfakes—synthetic videos showing people doing things they did not do—that might deceive voters.
We've noticed several ads containing hyperrealistic deepfakes of famous politicians, including Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez, in particular, is a favorite among Republican advertisers, appearing in at least five ads. We've seen deepfakes in which a Republican Senate candidate from Louisiana drives a school bus full of undocumented immigrants and a Republican candidate for governor from South Carolina walks arm in arm with drag queens, as well as an ad in which Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney and Mike Pence are seen carrying pitchforks on the White House lawn.
People who are not politicians made appearances, too, including a fake Dr. Anthony Fauci, seen running around a state fair with a huge syringe, presumably eager to vaccinate everyone. We've also noticed several ads in which AI was used to generate crowds or constituents.
In several cases, AI was used to enhance visuals rather than generate something new. One ad from Chip Keating, a Republican candidate for governor in Oklahoma, includes an AI disclaimer, but it doesn't specify exactly how AI was used. Ads that use AI to enhance visuals don't necessarily look different from ads that were created in the pre-AI era, which makes it difficult for viewers to discern whether they depict something false.
Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. Republicans—both candidates and groups such as super PACs and 501(c) organizations—are much more likely to use AI in their ads than are Democrats, according to our research. In fact, Republican candidates or pro-Republican groups were behind 80% of the ads we tracked and 83% of the spending.
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