U.S. Political Campaigns Spend $80 Million on AI-Generated Political Ads as Deepfakes Proliferate

A new tracking study has identified nearly $80 million in spending on AI-generated or AI-enhanced political advertisements during the 2026 U.S. midterm election cycle—marking the first election in which synthetic media appears regularly across television and digital platforms. Researchers from the Wesleyan Media Project documented at least 164 distinct ads that use artificial intelligence technology, with the vast majority offering no disclosure to viewers that AI played a role in their creation.