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AI disinformation in US midterm elections
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2026-10-29 21:18 UTC → 2026-11-04 01:53 UTC ·
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As the United States midterm elections approach, researchers have identified a surge in artificial intelligence-generated disinformation, a phenomenon termed ‘slopaganda’. Data from the Wesleyan Media Project indicates that spending on AI-generated political advertisements has exceeded $137 million, with approximately 80% of these ads funded by Republicans. Furthermore, roughly 70% of the identified AI content lacked clear labels identifying it as synthetic. The disinformation has specifically targeted Democratic Senate candidates. In Ohio, manipulated newscasts have been used against Sherrod Brown, involving a former intern who stated that allegations attributed to her were “completely made up”. In Texas, candidate James Talarico has been targeted by deepfake videos framed as confessions from former students. Recent reports link these social media videos, believed to be produced with artificial intelligence, to Russia. These videos reportedly misuse the names and photographs of real individuals to spread disinformation. In Ohio, clips targeting Sherrod Brown appear to depict newscasts using images of former staff members, including Haya Akbik, who stated that the claims attributed to her are “completely false and damaging to her reputation”. In Texas, a spokesperson for Talarico characterized the deepfake videos as “slander involving AI deepfakes and foreign bots”. While some social media platforms platforms, such as X, have removed reportedly taken down initial posts and suspended violating users, posts, copies of these videos continue to circulate. Experts suggest these tactics align with a known playbook used by foreign adversaries, such as Russia, adversaries to influence voters and undermine political processes through fabricated information.
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- 2026-11-04 01:53 UTC AI disinformation in US midterm elections
- 2026-10-29 21:18 UTC AI disinformation in US midterm elections
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