Political campaigns in the United States have spent over $137 million on at least 220 AI-generated campaign videos through October 11, according to a report from the Wesleyan Media Project. This marks a dramatic increase from the 2024 election cycle, when AI-generated ad spending was under $50,000. The surge highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in political advertising ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, according to fortune.com.
The Wesleyan Media Project, based at Wesleyan University, tracked the spending and content of campaign ads, finding that AI was used in various ways, from substituting stock footage to creating candidate likenesses. Travis Ridout, co-director of the project and political science professor at Washington State University, emphasized the scale of this shift, noting the jump from virtually no AI ad spending in 2024 to nine figures this cycle. The report also found that over 70% of AI campaign videos lacked disclaimers about their AI-generated nature, raising concerns about transparency.
The rapid adoption of AI in political advertising reflects broader trends in content creation and the high stakes of the 2026 midterms. The use of AI-generated ads is unprecedented in scale compared to previous election cycles, signaling a new frontier in campaign strategies. However, the lack of regulation and disclosure has sparked debate about the potential for misinformation and the ethical implications of AI in political messaging, as detailed in the fortune.com report.
The Wesleyan Media Project's findings underscore the significant investment in AI-driven campaign content this election cycle, with spending surpassing $137 million by October 11. This data provides a concrete measure of AI's expanding influence in U.S. political campaigns.