Michigan Bureau of Elections Investigates AI-Generated Political Ad Targeting House Candidate
A super PAC ad targeting Democratic congressional candidate Bridget Brink featured manipulated video of Donald Trump and was flagged for potentially violating Michigan's 2023 AI disclosure law. The Michigan Values PAC denied using AI to create the ad, but the Michigan Bureau of Elections opened an investigation into the complaint filed by a voter.
What happened
An ad targeting Democratic congressional candidate Bridget Brink, funded by Michigan Values PAC, featured manipulated video in which footage of Brink accepting Trump's nomination to the Slovak Republic was superimposed on a folder that Trump is shown holding at what appears to be the Oval Office desk.
Cheree De Golia of Lansing filed a complaint with the Michigan Bureau of Elections on Tuesday, arguing the ad violated Michigan's 2023 law requiring political ads using AI to include a disclosure.
Reported impact
The complaint raised questions about state limits on the use of generative artificial intelligence in political ads and whether the state's AI disclosure requirement applies to federal races.
Index analysis
The ad's video footage was clearly manipulated, though Michigan Values PAC denied using AI to create the ad, stating the footage of Brink came from C-SPAN.
Governance controls
The Michigan Bureau of Elections opened an investigation into the complaint. The bureau confirmed that Michigan's AI disclosure requirement for political ads is a state law under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, not a federal requirement.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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