More than $187 million spent on AI political ads in the US — CNBC
In the United States, more than $187 million was spent ahead of the midterm elections on nearly 300 political advertisements created or altered using artificial intelligence. This was reported by CNBC, citing an analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project. Researchers noted that the actual amount could be higher, as many ads do not include labels indicating the use of AI.
Republican spending dominance
According to the Wesleyan Media Project, more than 90% of spending on such advertising came from Republican Party candidates, a Republican party committee, or groups supporting Republicans. Most of these advertisements, researchers concluded, do not disclose the use of artificial intelligence.
CNBC identified several AI-generated advertisements without the relevant labels. Among them was a fake video featuring New York Governor Kathy Hochul, published by her Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman. In Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton created an AI video in which his Democratic opponent James Talarico allegedly makes controversial statements. A label indicating the use of AI appeared in the video for only three seconds.
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Platform rules and legislative initiatives
The United States has no comprehensive federal law regulating the use of AI in political advertising or requiring such use to be disclosed. At the same time, about 30 states have their own requirements, which candidates do not always follow.
YouTube said it applies prominent labels to realistic content created by AI. The platform also requires advertisers to disclose the use of synthetic or digitally altered people or events in campaign advertising. Google requires political advertisers to undergo verification and add a label identifying the ad’s sponsor.
X places responsibility for complying with legislation on advertisers. Meta requires sponsor labels, maintains a political advertising library, and in June introduced an “about this ad” tool for ads that the company believes were created using third-party AI tools. Bills to ban the knowing dissemination of misleading AI videos and audio about federal candidates have still not advanced beyond the relevant congressional committees.
