US AI political ad spending exceeds $137 million

Spending on political advertisements created with artificial intelligence in the United States has exceeded $137 million. According to a report by the Wesleyan Media Project, AI-generated ads have seen a massive increase in usage compared to the 2024 election cycle, where spending was below $50,000.

Research indicates that these advertisements have been aired across 34 states. The spending is heavily skewed toward Republican sponsors, who account for 88% of the total expenditure, while Democrats represent 12%, with the remainder coming from independent groups.

A significant transparency issue has emerged, as only 27% of these ads include a disclaimer stating that AI was used. Researchers noted that the presence of state laws regarding AI disclosure does not appear to effectively increase transparency, as the percentage of disclosed ads in states with laws (29%) was actually lower than in states without such laws (32%).