Researchers tracked $80 million spent on AI-generated political ads for the midterms. Here’s what they found

Many of the ads do not disclose the use of AI at all, whether it’s for hyperrealistic deepfakes or subtle enhancements.

At a 2024 MIT Museum exhibit, visitors were asked to guess which videos were deepfakes. [Photo: Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images]

The 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns are the first in which AI-generated political ads are regularly appearing on people’s televisions and social media feeds.

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