{
  "id": 16768285,
  "title": "AI deepfake ads blur truth in US midterms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/ai-deepfake-ads-blur-truth-in-us-midterms",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-27T15:45:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2026/10/1565001/ai-deepfake-ads-blur-truth-us-midterms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hyper-realistic AI-generated political ads are spreading across social media and television ahead of the US midterm elections, blurring the line between truth and fiction. Dubbed \"AI slopaganda\" by researchers, these deepfake ads are being used by both Republican and Democratic candidates and groups to target rivals. One ad features Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed playing a board game with people wearing traditional Arab scarves, accompanied by incendiary statements and a fabricated family photo. The ad, costing over $92,000, is sponsored by a Republican PAC and carries a disclaimer that it was created with AI. However, many AI-generated ads go unlabelled, further distorting the information landscape. According to the Wesleyan Media Project, 220 political ads nationwide were AI-generated, costing over $137 million. Eighty-one percent of these ads were sponsored by Republicans, while 12 percent by Democrats. Only 27 percent of AI-created ads bore an AI disclaimer, raising concerns about the lack of transparency. Senator Jon Ossoff denounced the use of such deepfake videos, calling it a \"slippery slope toward the destruction of truth.\" While experts doubt the ads' ability to influence election results, they agree that AI slopaganda poses a serious challenge to the integrity of political discourse.",
  "summary": "THE video looks hyper-real, depicting a US Senate candidate laughing at cards that read “Death to America” and “Celebrate 9/11”.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}