Campaign ads featuring AI-generated images and videos are becoming increasingly common across U.S. elections, with candidates from both parties using the technology to place opponents in situations that never occurred, raising new questions about transparency and political advertising ahead of the midterms.
The latest example comes from Texas, where a pro-Trump group, Citizens for Sanity, released an ad depicting Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico wearing a dress and singing an altered version of "My Favorite Things" about transgender children. The ad was generated using artificial intelligence.
NEW: The Trump-aligned org Citizens for Sanity is dropping a six-figure ad buy in the Texas Senate race.
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) June 9, 2026
The ad is a 15 second clip of AI-generated James Talarico singing a "trans kids" rendition of “Favorite Things."
Obtained first by @DailyCaller: pic.twitter.com/JNY8vxYueG
Earlier this year, the National Republican Senatorial Committee used AI to create a video showing Talarico appearing to read old social media posts, although the footage itself was fabricated.
Similar tactics have appeared in races across the country. In Kentucky, AI-generated ads depicted Rep. Thomas Massie in a fictional romantic relationship with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar while in Georgia, gubernatorial candidates used AI to portray rivals firing guns recklessly, fighting each other, shoveling money into furnaces and inflating hot-air balloons, as Axios reports.
Democrats have also embraced the technology. In Texas, Rep. Jasmine Crockett used AI to enlarge crowds in campaign advertising, while in New York, Andrew Cuomo used AI-generated imagery showing himself working a variety of jobs.
The growing use of AI-generated political content comes as lawmakers and policy experts debate whether existing rules are sufficient. Federal law does not generally require campaigns to disclose when advertisements contain AI-generated images, audio or video, though some campaigns voluntarily do so. Democrats have signaled they may pursue disclosure requirements if they regain control of Congress after November's elections.
The debate is unfolding alongside broader disputes over how the Trump administration should regulate artificial intelligence. Recent controversy centered on Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models after the White House imposed export restrictions that prompted the company to withdraw the systems from public access.
Industry groups, AI researchers and some policy advocates criticized the move as evidence that the administration's stated preference for voluntary oversight may be giving way to a more interventionist approach. Critics argued the action created uncertainty for developers, while administration officials maintained that national security concerns justified the restrictions.
