The rise of AI election ads in US midterms campaign

What the report says

Researchers and campaign watchers say artificial intelligence is appearing more often in advertising tied to the US midterm election campaign. According to BBC Verify, the technology is being used in a range of political spots as candidates and outside groups look for new ways to reach voters before November.

BBC Verify said it tracked dozens of AI-generated or AI-assisted ads to see how they are being deployed. The examples examined included material paid for by independent political organizations as well as ads that appear to have come directly from candidates in important races. The report does not give a complete count of all such ads, but it suggests the trend is broad enough to be noticeable across the campaign landscape.

The development matters because AI can make political messaging cheaper, faster and more adaptable, while also raising questions about authenticity and transparency. As a general matter, AI tools in politics can be used to create synthetic images, voices or video, although the BBC piece focuses on the growing use of AI in election advertising rather than any one disputed ad. The story places this trend in the context of the 2026 US midterms and the wider debate over how campaigns use new technology.