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A new report from the Wesleyan Media Project found political campaigns spent $137 million on 220 AI-made ads ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. This contrasts with less than $50,000 in spending on AI-generated ads during the 2024 presidential election cycle. Republicans drove 81% of the ads and 88% of the spending, though 70% of these videos lacked disclaimers.
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Summary by ByteBrief

US candidates and PACs, mostly tied to Republicans, have spent $137M+ on 220 AI-generated campaign ads in 2026; ~70% of the 220 videos didn't disclose AI use (Stuart A. Thompson/New York Times)

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