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Campaigns and PACs spent over $137M promoting AI-made midterm ads, most with no label

Campaigns and PACs spent over $137 million on AI-generated or AI-enhanced midterm ads, Wesleyan and AdImpact findings show. Most carried no AI label, and some showed real officials in scenes that never happened, the New York Times reported.

The Watch · Security desk

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Narrower counts of AI ad spending come in lower Midterm spending on AI-generated or AI-enhanced ads, per three counts that use different methods and are not interchangeable.

Wesleyan's count of at least 164 unique ads found just under $80 million. AdImpact's count, limited to ads with an identifiable disclosure, found slightly more than $13 million. The broader-criteria total is more than $137 million.

Narrower counts of AI ad spending come in lower
FigureValueNoteClaim
Wesleyan count, at least 164 unique ads$80M just under10
AdImpact, disclosed ads$13M over11
Broader-criteria total$137M over9

What happened

  • A Bruce Blakeman campaign video placed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul together in a synthetic ad for a fictional "political delusion pill", with no AI disclaimer, the Times reported.
  • A Make Oklahoma Great Again ad showed a synthetic Democratic gubernatorial candidate embracing Hillary Clinton, backed by more than $200,000 in Oklahoma television buys tracked by AdImpact.
  • Republican campaigns and Republican-aligned PACs produced more than 80 percent of the reviewed ads, according to the Wesleyan Media Project's broader dataset.
  • In a complaint to the state Board of Elections, New York's state Democratic Party alleges the Blakeman ads violate a law that requires AI labels on political communications that are materially deceptive.

Why it matters

  • Who's exposed exposure Teams that protect public-facing leaders now have a documented example of a campaign video using a sitting mayor's and governor's voices and likenesses with no disclaimer.
  • What it limits constraint A missing label is no evidence of authenticity. Most ads in the sample carried none, and roughly half of states require one, so labels cannot serve as a filter.
  • What it sets up precedent A ruling on the New York complaint would show whether a satire claim exempts a fabricated ad from a state labeling law.

The $137 million is the widest of three counts. A separate Wesleyan Media Project accounting, covering at least 164 unique ads, found just under $80 million in spending [10]. AdImpact's count, limited to ads with an identifiable disclosure, came to slightly more than $13 million [11]. Gadget Review notes that the $137 million uses broader inclusion criteria and that the three figures are not interchangeable [9].

The broad total includes routine production work. Campaigns used AI to animate still photographs, generate crowd scenes, recreate childhood settings and replace conventional stock footage [8]. In our view the $137 million is a ceiling on the fabricated material, not a count of it [1][8].

Other examples reviewed by the Times showed Abdul El-Sayed laughing at cards containing extremist messages and James Fishback at a gathering with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Iranian leaders [5]. Neither event occurred [5].

About 70 percent of ads in the broader review did not disclose AI use; in the narrower set, 31 percent did [7]. The Wesleyan researchers said the true total is likely higher than their counts, since ads in states with no disclosure requirement are harder to find [12].

Roughly half of U.S. states require disclosure, according to CNN, and the rules vary in scope [16]. Michigan requires a three-second voiceover acknowledging AI use alongside a four-second written disclosure [16]. A campaign that complies in one state may face a legal complaint in another [17].

The Blakeman campaign said the ad was satirical and required no disclaimer [15].

Gadget Review concludes that AI political advertising is no longer a marginal experiment [13]. The reporting does not break out how much of the total went to fabricated depictions of real people, and it does not address impersonation outside politics.

What to watch

  • The New York Board of Elections response to the state Democratic Party's complaint over the Blakeman ads.
  • Any revision of Wesleyan's counts, which its researchers say understate the total because ads in states without disclosure rules are harder to detect.
  • A second state complaint that tests the gap between Michigan-style disclosure rules and states with none.

Clarity's read

What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.

Reality

Evidence62
Adoption55
Hype gap+25
Incentives58
Confidence64

Perspective Coverage

3 publishers
Builder
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Operator
Operator 50%
Investor
Investor 33%
Why these scores

Claim ledger

Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.

  1. [1]

    Political campaigns and PACs spent more than $137 million promoting AI-generated or AI-enhanced advertisements during the 2026 midterm cycle, according to findings from the Wesleyan Media Project and AdImpact reported by the New York Times.

    Reported Supported Source: Wesleyan Media Project and AdImpact findings, as reported by the New York Times and relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  2. [2]

    Most of the AI-generated or AI-enhanced ads carried no disclosure that artificial intelligence was involved.

    Reported Supported Source: Gadget Review, citing Wesleyan Media Project and AdImpact findingsView cited source
  3. [3]

    A Bruce Blakeman campaign video fabricated New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul appearing together in a synthetic advertisement for a fictional 'political delusion pill', using their voices and likenesses without any AI disclaimer.

    Reported Supported Source: New York Times, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  4. [4]

    A Make Oklahoma Great Again advertisement showed a synthetic Democratic gubernatorial candidate embracing Hillary Clinton, and AdImpact tracked more than $200,000 in Oklahoma television buys behind that ad alone.

    Reported Supported Source: Gadget Review, citing AdImpactView cited source
  5. [5]

    Other reviewed examples showed fabricated versions of Abdul El-Sayed laughing at cards containing extremist messages and James Fishback appearing at a gathering with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Iranian leaders; neither event occurred.

    Reported Supported Source: New York Times, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  6. [6]

    More than 80 percent of the reviewed ads came from Republican campaigns or Republican-aligned PACs, per the Wesleyan Media Project's broader dataset.

    Reported Supported Source: Wesleyan Media Project, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  7. [7]

    Approximately 70 percent of ads in the broader review carried no AI label; only 31 percent disclosed AI use in the narrower set.

    Reported Supported Source: Gadget Review, citing the Wesleyan Media Project datasetsView cited source
  8. [8]

    Campaigns used AI for production tasks such as animating still photographs, generating crowd scenes, recreating childhood settings, and replacing conventional stock footage.

    Reported Supported Source: Gadget ReviewView cited source
  9. [9]

    The $137 million total applies broader inclusion criteria than the other two counts, and the spending figures reflect different methodologies and are not interchangeable.

    Reported Supported Source: Gadget ReviewView cited source
  10. [10]

    A separate Wesleyan accounting covering at least 164 unique ads identified just under $80 million in spending.

    Reported Supported Source: Wesleyan Media Project, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  11. [11]

    AdImpact's more conservative count, limited to ads with an identifiable disclosure, found slightly more than $13 million.

    Reported Supported Source: AdImpact, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  12. [12]

    Wesleyan researchers said their counts likely understate the real total, because ads running in states without disclosure requirements are harder to detect.

    Reported Supported Source: Wesleyan researchers, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  13. [13]

    AI political advertising is no longer a marginal experiment.

    Reported Supported Source: Gadget Review's conclusionView cited source
  14. [14]

    The New York State Democratic Party filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections over the Blakeman advertisements, alleging violation of a state law requiring materially deceptive political communications to carry an AI label.

    Reported Contested Source: Gadget ReviewView cited source
  15. [15]

    Blakeman's campaign said the ad was satirical and required no disclaimer.

    Reported Contested Source: Blakeman campaign, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  16. [16]

    Roughly half of U.S. states require campaigns to disclose AI-generated or manipulated material in political advertising, though the rules vary significantly in scope; Michigan requires a three-second voiceover acknowledging AI use alongside a four-second written disclosure.

    Reported Contested Source: CNN, as relayed by Gadget ReviewView cited source
  17. [17]

    The requirements differ enough across states that a campaign compliant in one state may face a legal complaint in another.

    Reported Contested Source: Gadget ReviewView cited source

Sources

3 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.

  1. gadgetreview.com

    1 article · October 16, 2026

    AI-Generated Midterm Ads Hit $137M, Most Without a Label - Gadget Review
  2. gizmodo.com

    1 article · October 16, 2026

    $137 Million Has Been Spent on AI-Generated Ads Ahead of Midterms. Only 27% Included a Disclaimer
  3. techstrong.ai

    1 article · October 16, 2026

    The ‘AI Election’ Arrives: Campaigns Spend $137 Million on Synthetic Media as Misinformation Concerns Rise - Techstrong.ai

Topics and entities

Topics

  • Deepfakes
  • Election AI disclosure laws
  • AI in political advertising
  • 2026 U.S. midterm elections

Entities