AI 'Slopaganda' Floods Midterm Ads as Platforms Scramble

More than $187 million has gone into nearly 300 political ads that were generated or enhanced with AI, according to a Wesleyan Media Project analysis released last week. The group says that is almost certainly an undercount because so many ads carry no disclaimer at all. The phenomenon has a name: 'slopaganda,' a blend of AI slop and propaganda that AI experts flagged in a paper early last year.

Republican candidates, party committees or aligned groups account for over 90% of that spending, the analysis found. CNBC found several AI-generated ads running online without disclosures, including a fake video of New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul posted by her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman.

In Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton created an AI-generated video showing Democratic opponent James Talarico making controversial statements. A three-second disclosure flashes in the middle, and Paxton's campaign is sharing it as organic content on YouTube and X. The Blakeman and Paxton campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The platforms are juggling labels, disclosures and legal risk. YouTube told CNBC it applies 'prominent labels to realistic AI content' and requires election advertisers to disclose synthetic or digitally altered people or events. X says advertisers must comply with applicable laws, putting the responsibility on them. Meta points to its political ad guidelines, 'paid for by' labels and its ad library.

Washington has not caught up: there is no comprehensive federal law on AI in political ads, and roughly 30 state laws have different requirements that candidates do not always follow. The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would prohibit knowingly distributing deceptive AI video or audio about federal candidates, while the AI Ads Act would expand campaign misrepresentation bans to cover generative AI. None of the proposed bills has advanced out of committee.