SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Artificial intelligence is becoming a visible part of politics everywhere, including in California’s governor’s race. Republican candidate Steve Hilton has frequented AI-generated videos depicting his Democratic opponent, Xavier Becerra, in campaign advertisements.

The ads have drawn attention to how campaigns use AI to shape political messaging and whether existing state laws adequately protect voters from deceptive content ahead of the November general election.

Hilton’s campaign defends its use of the technology as another tool for reaching voters.

“Our job is to get the message to the people we want to reach, and so we’re going to utilize every tool at our disposal, including AI,” said Hector Barajas, a spokesperson for the Hilton campaign, in a Monday afternoon interview with ABC10.

One recent ad uses a Trojan horse theme, depicting Becerra hidden inside as a puppet. Another portrays Hilton defeating what the campaign calls the Democratic machine, featuring AI-generated depictions of Becerra, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Gavin Newsom.

Asked whether the campaign was concerned that the videos and their dramatized portrayals could deceive voters, Barajas said both campaigns were focused on communicating their messages.

“Look, we are in a campaign looking to get our messaging out there. At the same time, they’re looking to get their messaging out there,” he said.

The Hilton campaign has complied with California’s disclosure requirements, which require political advertisements created or substantially altered using AI to disclose that use.

John Bennett, director of the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on AI-driven election disinformation, said the realistic appearance of AI-generated videos poses a risk to voters.

“It’s quite apparent that many of these videos are very lifelike, and people could be deceived into thinking that what they see in these videos is real,” Bennett said.

Bennett said much of the AI-generated political content he has seen has been negative, criticizing its use to attack opponents rather than communicate substantive policy positions.

“It’s all just kind of slop. It’s nonsense that’s meant to hurt someone without giving a real message,” he said, noting he believes campaign material should further contribute to democracy. 

In California, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is responsible for the oversight and enforcement of campaign laws. But the commission addresses incidents through public complaints that are filed, posing a potential limitation to the FPPC's ability on time before votes are cast in an election cycle.

A spokesperson for Becerra’s campaign agreed that the Hilton campaign had not broken any laws but criticized its approach in a statement.

“MAGA is devouring Steve Hilton’s AI slop, but it won’t satisfy voters hungry for real solutions. The choice is clear -- Hilton offers deranged cartoons. Becerra offers the experience needed to lead California forward," wrote Jonathan Underland. 

The Becerra campaign said it does not use any AI in its campaign content.

Read more here: ABC 10