As campaign season gears up, AI-generated ads are everywhere

Data suggests many candidates are embracing AI this year to boost their image and portray their opponents unfavorably. But whether it will turn out voters remains unclear. AI-generated campaign ads/Collage by Emily Bogle/NPR hide caption

Jessica Bichler is running for North Carolina state Senate this fall. The district where she's campaigning, in and around Wilmington, is deep purple, and she knew it was going to be a tough fight.

But even she was surprised when she appeared in an ad from her opponent, Republican incumbent state Sen. Michael Lee. The ad showed an AI-generated Bichler contorting her body into bizarre shapes, while making claims about her stances on policing and healthcare.

"I feel like I kind of hardened myself for some teasing and things like that, but the AI kind of took me aback," the real-life Bichler, who also owns a yoga studio, told NPR. "It was my face, it was my body moving around, but it was not anything I'd ever consented to or participated in creating."

Yoga studio owner Jessica Bichler, who is running for a state Senate seat in North Carolina, found herself the target of an AI-generated campaign ad. Screenshot by NPR/ Youtube hide caption

The ad did include a disclaimer that it used AI, and in a statement, Lee told NPR that voters in his district "are smart enough to spot comedy and obvious parody when they see it."

"For years, leftist groups have distorted my image in ads. I didn't cry foul or complain; I worked harder to earn this community's trust," he added.

Bichler is hardly the only candidate being rendered by artificial intelligence. New data shows AI political advertisements like these are popping up all over the country.