Democrats eye 2027 crackdown on AI in election ads
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Rep. Joe Morelle at a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing at the U.S. Capitol on May 12. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
House Democrats plan to push legislation regulating the use of AI in political ads if they retake power next year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The use of AI in election ads has exploded in the 2026 midterms, with some campaigns using the new technology to push the limits of negative campaigning.
- One "satirical" ad in Kentucky's 4th district accused Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) of being in a "throuple" with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and included phony, AI-generated videos of the three dining together, holding hands and checking into a hotel.
- Another ad in that race used AI to depict Massie rival Ed Gallrein fleeing a Trump rally, changing his voter registration and abandoning President Trump in a WWII-style foxhole — all without any apparent disclosure.
What they're saying: Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, told Axios that regulating the use of AI on the campaign trail will "absolutely" be a priority for him.
- The New York Democrat, whose committee has jurisdiction over federal elections, has already begun laying the groundwork for that effort.
- "I have had a number of conversation[s] with the AI community about the issue generally and about my bill to require disclosure of the use of AI in political ads," he said.
State of play: AI-generated ads and videos have begun to proliferate in federal, state and even local elections across the country.
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee has used AI to create deepfake videos of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Texas state Rep. James Talarico reciting written comments.
- Online supporters of Spencer Pratt, a Republican former reality TV star running for Los Angeles mayor, have made headlines for churning out AI-generated videos promoting his candidacy.
- A PAC backing Republican Jonathan Bush in the Maine gubernatorial election is running an ad that consists entirely of AI-generated deepfakes of GOP rival Robert Charles, including one in which he is holding bags of money while former President Obama places a hand on his shoulder.
The other side: While it has mostly been Republicans utilizing AI on the campaign trail, some Democrats have embraced the technology as well.
- A Democratic House candidate in upstate New York released an AI-generated video attacking Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) last July.
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), who lost the Democratic Texas Senate nomination to Talarico in March, was accused of using AI to enhance a crowd in the closing shot of one of her ads.
- Jesse Jackson Jr., an unsuccessful House candidate in Illinois, used AI to enhance the voice of one of his endorsers, former Rep. Bobby Rush, whose vocal cords were damaged by throat cancer.
Between the lines: AI is being embraced by a growing number of campaigns as a method to save on the often exorbitant and prohibitive cost of producing ads.
- That means, despite considerable criticism and public wariness of its use, it likely isn't going anywhere.
