Virginia GOP candidate debates AI version of his opponent

Driving the news: Reid, a Richmond-area conservative radio host, staged a 40-minute "debate" solo on Tuesday night after Democratic state Sen. Hashmi repeatedly declined to participate.

• The YouTube broadcast involved Reid at a podium, facing off against a pixelated Hashmi giving AI-generated remarks in a robotic voice loosely mimicking the human senator.
• Reid's campaign told Axios the AI was trained on Hashmi's public statements.
• The questions, asked by a chatbot moderator in a suit, spanned from the economy, education and abortion to gun violence, immigration and the rights of transgender minors.

What they're saying: Hashmi's campaign told Axios that the senator didn't grant permission for her likeness to be used in this way.

• "Reid only cares about shoddy gimmicks," said campaign spokesperson Ava Pitruzzello, who noted the "AI Ghazala" did accurately share Hashmi's vision.
• Hashmi was attending an event on rising energy costs Tuesday night, per the campaign.

Meanwhile, Virginia's Democratic Party congratulated Hashmi for "winning."

The big picture: It's been a chaotic election year in Virginia — from a scandal-plagued attorney general candidate to Reid's own party briefly trying to push him out over social media posts of nude men that Reid has repeatedly denied sharing.

The intrigue: Nationwide, the use of AI in politics — including by President Trump — has raised alarms about ethics and regulation.

• At least 27 states have regulated AI in political campaigns, per an Axios review, with some banning it in the months before an election.
• Gov. Youngkin vetoed a similar bill this year, calling it "an unworkable solution" with "an impractical enforcement structure."

What we're watching: Whether lawmakers revive AI deepfake restrictions in the next General Assembly session.