Kari Lake demands all politicians, PACs promise to not use AI in campaign ads

2024 Election

By Ernesto Sampera

Published Jul. 19, 2023, 1:04 p.m. ET | Updated Jul. 19, 2023

Kari Lake speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz., Dec. 20, 2022. (Photo/Gage Skidmore, Flickr)

PHOENIX (FLV) – Former GOP candidate for governor of Arizona Kari Lake called for election campaigns not to use artificial intelligence in ads.

This call comes in the wake of controversy surrounding the Never Back Down super PAC, which supports Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The group made a campaign ad which included an AI-generated impersonation of former President Donald Trump, reading out one of his Truth Social posts attacking Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

While the fake voice did not sound entirely natural, it raised concerns among the public and Lake about the ethical implications of using AI-generated content in political campaigns.

“Voters are already lied to by the corrupt fake news media every day. We can’t further deceive through the use of dishonest AI campaigning,” Lake said in a statement. “Therefore, I’m calling on all politicians & PACs to pledge against using Artificial Intelligence in campaign ads.”

Lake went on to urge members of Congress to explore potential legislation that can safeguard against the abuse of AI in future political campaigns.

“I urge members of Congress to explore potential legislation that can safeguard against these abuses in the future,” she added.

Never Back Down’s use of AI comes weeks after the DeSantis campaign used AI-generated images of Trump embracing and kissing Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was a figurehead of the federal coronavirus pandemic response in 2020.

The video targeted and criticized Trump for not firing Fauci during his time as president – rather, including Fauci in the task force against COVID-19 and placing him in front of the press as a figurehead for the federal response to the pandemic.

“Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television,*” the DeSantis War Room tweeted. “But when it came to Fauci…”

Artificial intelligence has only recently become so accurate that images can look like real photos at a user’s request.

“What a phony,” Jason Miller, a member of the Trump campaign, said of the images.

The situation has sparked debates among policymakers, technology experts, and the public on how to strike a balance between innovation and preserving the integrity and accuracy of political communication in the digital age.