Before winning back his D.C. Council seat in a special election this week, Trayon White posted a video rallying voters that viewers quickly sniffed out as artificial intelligence.

The video shows a figure whose appearance and voice are robotic. The logo for the AI company is on the bottom right corner of the screen of the Instagram post shared Monday, the last day of early voting.

“They hope we stay home,” the female voice said as it urged voters to head to the polls. “They hope we stay silent, but the truth is, no one is coming to save us but us. We have the power to shape the now and it’s time we use it.”

White won the reelection Tuesday.

Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen recently reintroduced legislation to regulate campaign advertisements like White’s recent video.

“There was no disclosure or transparency in that ad,” Allen told WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer. “And that’s what we’ve seen on a lot of AI generated ads.”

The legislation was brought forward days before White’s post; Allen said it would require advertisements generated by AI to have a label. Such ads would be banned altogether 90 days before an election.

“It’s perfectly OK for campaigns and for candidates to contrast themselves as much as they want with other people on the ballot, but we do expect people to tell the truth about who is speaking, and this just helps make sure that happens,” Allen said.

White’s video was first flagged by 51st News journalist Martin Austermule on X, who posted a video using the same avatar that appeared in the campaign’s advertisement.

But White is far from being alone in using generative artificial intelligence for political purposes.

Generative AI is already being used by campaigns to write fundraising emails, draft speeches and in some instances, avatars are even making calls to voters.

“The AI in politics — toothpaste isn’t just out of the tube,” said Peter Loge, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University. “It’s going to happy hour and taking selfies with the candidates.”

WTOP has reached out to White for comment.

Can legislation regulate campaigns use of AI?

Other states have passed measures aimed at making generative AI use in political campaigns more transparent through disclaimers or banning it altogether.

Allen is hoping Maryland and Virginia will adopt similar legislation to his proposal.

But Loge said regulating the practice is a challenge.

“Laws aren’t a bad thing. Regulations aren’t a bad thing, but they have to be enforceable,” he said. “They can’t be easily skirted. And what political campaign professionals have proven again and again is they can skirt almost anything.”

Costs of AI use for political campaigns

Loge has been studying AI for years and teaches courses on political communication ethics. He said some of the ethical issues presented by AI are age-old.

“People didn’t start lying in politics with the introduction of AI. Politics in America wasn’t puppies and rainbows until social media, then suddenly the wheels came off,” Loge said. “What AI does is allow us to do what we’ve always done, but louder, more faster, with greater impact.”

He gave an example of the 18th century artists with the Hudson River School who were tasked with painting the great American landscapes that later inspired the national parks and Western expansion. Historians believe those painters exaggerated what they saw in their artwork.

“We’ve had deepfakes in oils since the 1800s … generative AI makes it easier and faster to do that,” Loge said. “That’s arguably a bad thing.”

In 2023, during a race for the Republican Party’s nomination for president, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign shared an image that appeared to be fake where President Donald Trump was hugging Anthony Fauci. The campaign criticized Trump’s alleged support of Fauci.

AI can make producing content easier for campaigns. Loge said it will add to the overload of political noise voters already face.

“It’s going to make the goop, which feels like political campaign rhetoric, even goopier,” Loge said. “There’ll be more stuff coming at voters faster and at greater volume.”

Benefits of AI use for political campaigns

Supporters of AI say it could be used to make campaigns more efficient by streamlining communication between volunteers, staff and others, Loge said.

Running a campaign can be expensive, and Loge said AI could be used by candidates to avoid hiring staff or consultants.

“It lowers the bar to entry,” he said. “It allows more people to participate in politics, which is arguably a good thing.”

Of course, if campaigns are using AI to do work previously done by staff, it could cost human jobs.

“You’re going to be replacing interns and junior staff who used to write press releases and fundraising emails with computer programs that’ll be writing those things,” Loge said.

But humans could be part of the solution to issues presented by AI. As the technology continues to improve, Loge said volunteers and staff will become increasingly important to campaigns.

He said voters will likely be looking to talk with neighbors, volunteers and other people to sort out what’s real or fake.

“This actually makes politics, ironically, more human, not less, because it’d be a greater need for human connection and campaigns than ever before,” he said.

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