Artificial Intelligence in Political Campaigns: Equalizer or Deception Tool?
The Queens Candidate Who Sparked a Legal Debate
Can AI equalize political campaign ads – Jonathan Rinaldi, a forty-seven-year-old political hopeful seeking a Queens city council position, found himself in an unprecedented legal situation. From his bedroom, the candidate used his smartphone to work with an artificial intelligence chatbot, generating fabricated news articles and endorsements that never actually occurred. During the October campaign period, Rinaldi circulated one such creation on his social media platforms, complete with a CNN logo to lend credibility. The digital post claimed that Lynn Schulman, the incumbent Democratic opponent, had been compelled to withdraw from the race following several significant errors. In reality, Schulman continued her campaign and secured a decisive victory in November.
Rinaldi defended his actions as creative expression rather than deception. “I made memes and political satire; nothing I did is fake,” he explained. He viewed the posts as legitimate political art, firmly protected under free speech principles. However, local authorities took a different view, accusing the vaccine skeptic and serial sperm donor of misleading voters. On June 24, Rinaldi faced arrest on misdemeanor forgery charges, marking what appears to be one of the earliest instances where a political candidate encountered criminal consequences for employing AI in campaign communications.
“Campaigns are full of lies, OK,” Rinaldi told the Guardian in an interview. “What I’m saying is that I’m not doing anything different than anybody else.”
A Growing National Conversation
While such enforcement actions remain uncommon, and the legislation applied to Rinaldi’s case existed before AI became prevalent, the core issue reflects a broader national discussion regarding AI regulation in political messaging. Rinaldi maintains that he broke no laws and expresses concern about potential free speech violations stemming from his arrest for online behavior.
“It is very important for the police to not be able to arrest you on complaints for social media posts that are created by AI,” he said.
AI-generated advertisements have become ubiquitous during this election cycle. Most serve to promote candidates or ridicule opponents, frequently funded by external organizations without direct candidate affiliation. The extensive deployment of these tools, combined with occasional problematic actors, has intensified worries that misleading political content might sway voters and magnify false information before the November midterm elections.
Controversial AI Campaigns Across the Country
AI-created advertisements have already generated significant controversy in congressional primary races nationwide. One viral video featured James Talarico, a Democratic Senate candidate from Texas, appearing as Maria from The Sound of Music while singing a modified version of My Favorite Things focused on transgender youth. Another advertisement implied that Thomas Massie, a conservative Kentucky congressman, maintained a throuple relationship with progressive Squad members, displaying the politicians holding hands while checking into a hotel room.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt adopted the persona of Batman and depicted his opponent Karen Bass as the Joker in a peculiar digital production that attracted millions of views, transforming him from a peripheral candidate into a legitimate contender.
“Most of these ads aren’t trying to convince people,” said Bruce Schneier, a fellow and lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School. “They’re about social signaling. What’s important is: my team gets to dunk on your team.”
Presidential-Level AI Campaigning
Even the president has embraced AI-generated content. Donald Trump has extensively utilized AI “slopaganda,” presenting himself as a king on a Time magazine cover, as a pope, and as a Jedi wielding a light-saber. He also circulated a controversial video portraying former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as apes, which generated substantial criticism before Trump eventually deleted the post.
During the 2024 presidential election, both Trump and Elon Musk distributed AI-generated photographs of Kamala Harris attending communist rallies. Most recently, Trump shared an AI video showing himself as a doctor with a stethoscope, claiming to have treated several of his prominent critics for “Trump derangement syndrome.”
Some AI applications have proven more misleading than others. In the 2023 presidential primary, Florida governor Ron DeSantis published what appeared to be an AI-generated image of Trump embracing Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had become a Republican target for his pandemic management approach. Additionally, in January 2024, a political consultant dispatched AI-generated robocalls imitating Joe Biden to thousands of voters just two days before the state’s presidential primary. The artificial Biden encouraged recipients to vote in the November election rather than January, suggesting their ballot would carry less significance in the earlier contest.
Experts caution that increasingly sophisticated AI technologies have dramatically simplified the creation and distribution of misinformation on a massive scale. Public opinion surveys indicate widespread concern about these developments, as voters grapple with distinguishing authentic political communication from AI-generated content in an era where digital manipulation has become increasingly accessible and convincing.
