The 2026 midterm elections could shift the balance of power in Washington.
It’s also proving to be the first major election cycle likely to feature widespread use of artificial intelligence, including in a new ad in the U.S. Senate race against Democrat Graham Platner.
The ad against Platner may be the first to use a deepfake video and voice to try to discredit him and his campaign.
The political ad shows an AI-generated image and voice of a shirtless Platner reading Reddit posts he made 10 to 15 years ago.
Platner has said he regrets the controversial posts, which he said were intended to get a rise out of people.
On Wednesday, he spoke out against AI political ads, such as the one the National Republican Senatorial Committee posted against him.
“We are in an era where AI is going to be abused and is going to be weaponized in political campaigns,” Platner said. “That’s exactly what we’re seeing.”
Platner said he’s not surprised Republicans are using artificial intelligence to attack Democratic candidates.
University of Southern Maine political science professor Ron Schmidt said people viewing the ad may mistakenly think the video and audio are real.
“I mean they do say that it’s a dramatic reenactment or whatever,” Schmidt said. “But that isn’t necessarily the message people will take away from it.”
Gov. Janet Mills, who’s also running for U.S. Senate, signed a bill into law last month that will require political ads to disclose “deepfake” content, which the ad does in the lower right corner.
The Maine Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, said the new law “threatens free speech.”
“Maine already possesses ample authority to address genuinely deceptive political conduct through existing laws,” the think tank said
The U.S.Sen. Susan Collins’ campaign said this was not one of its ads and said, “Senator Collins believes AI-generated ads should be clearly labeled and should not be materially deceptive.”
Schmidt said ads like this one create the possibility of manipulating the public and public opinion.
“Well, it definitely points to a need for a regulation of how AI is used politically,” Schmidt said.
Some states have banned using AI in political ads.
Once Maine’s new law takes effect, the Maine Commission on Government Ethics and Election Practices will develop rules that will regulate the use of AI in political ads.
It will start that work this summer.
