AI use in political ads is largely regulated at the state level, but there are still concerns about how they can mislead voters.
At least 15 campaign ads featuring AI-generated content have run since November, stoking concerns that the now-ubiquitous technology could cause confusion or even mislead voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In state, local and federal elections across the country, AI has been everywhere from school board campaigns to governor’s races, used to enhance speech, turn politicians into cartoons or, in one notable case in Massachusetts, mimic a rival politician’s voice.
In the state’s gubernatorial race, the campaign of Republican primary candidate Brian Shortsleeve created an AI-generated radio ad that sounds like Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, using Healey’s “voice” to say things she never actually said, including about the state’s economy. The clip does not contain an explicit AI disclaimer, and instead the caption says it’s what her radio ads would sound like “if she was honest.” Shortsleeve’s campaign has also released AI-generated videos depicting Healey as the Grinch and another of her hissing with red eyes, neither of which contained explicit AI disclaimers.
Who could have ever predicted such a thing 🫢
So…what you’re saying is that…evil men and women are using state of the art technology to make up false evidence against their political opponents…or…same shit, different tech - that they’ve been doing since the dawn of time? This doesn’t end until someone dies because of gge lies…and then, rather than punish the guilty parties, they’ll regulate the tech end-users and creators - rather than make it illegal to, oh I don’t know, lie in campaign materials. I mean, an ounce of ethical behavior would prevent the entire problem. It’s not as difficult a problem as they seem to think. Just make it illegal to lie in political commercials. It’s so easy… until ghe liars find a way to “lie without lying” - luke using a microscopic disclosure statement that the whole message is a “hypothetical discussion.” Sometimes there’s a need to limit the freedom of speech…like not yelling “fire” in a theater. But, this world has so twisted the ideals of truth and honesty that even truth and honesty have become suspected of lies.
