In brief
Xinhua reports a sharp rise in AI‑driven political advertisements—220 ads worth $137 million—without disclosure. Experts warn the content can mislead voters and compromise electoral integrity, while a survey shows voters are increasingly turning to AI tools for ballot information. The rise reflects growing lobbying power of tech firms against stricter AI regulation.
AI‑driven disinformation is flooding U.S. social media feeds as voters head to the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Xinhua reports. The National news agency noted that the content, largely lacking disclosure of AI use, could mislead voters and undermine electoral integrity.
The Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks AI‑generated political advertising, said on Oct. 24 that it had identified 220 such ads worth more than $137 million—an approximate four‑fold jump from $50 000 during the 2024 cycle and a figure that the project believes is likely an underestimate. The project added that detection is difficult, making the true volume potentially higher.
Some of the ads have been notably provocative. One depicted a Republican candidate for governor embracing former President Hillary Clinton with the slogan “Clinton Lover. Trump Hater.” Another showed Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed laughing at cards reading “Death to America” and “Celebrate 9/11.” A third presented Republican primary candidate James Fishback at a party with Iranian leaders holding scimitars in front of a Star of David.
"You can run an information operation now with quality that was impossible in 2016 for super, super cheap," said Frances Haugen, a former Facebook data engineer turned whistleblower and advocate for transparency and accountability in big tech. "Because you can just keep tweaking the post a little bit each time you create them, and some of them are going to get through," she added.
A survey by the American Association of Political Consultants Foundation found that only 1 percent of respondents considered AI their most credible source of election information, yet one in five voters plans to use AI to investigate a ballot race. The survey also indicated that twice that proportion has already received election details through an AI search summary.
Tech firms, according to analysts, have been lobbying against stricter AI regulation as the volume of undisclosed AI‑generated political content grows. The emergence of a cottage industry advising candidates on how AI should shape their messaging signals a shift in political campaigning tactics.
While the reported figures come from a single monitoring project, the scale of undisclosed AI pushes the conversation forward about the need for clear disclosure rules and stronger oversight of AI‑driven political content.
