Senate Republican campaign leaders are using artificial intelligence-generated video to falsely depict Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer appearing to say on camera comments he made in a print publication interview about the political impacts of the partial government shutdown.
The 30-second digital ad from the National Republican Senate Committee features the Democratic New York senator appearing to say on camera about the shutdown, now in its 3rd week, “Every day gets better for us.”
The words were taken from an interview Schumer gave in a print interview to Punchbowl News last week, suggesting that the longer the government stoppage lasted, the more advantageous it is politically for Democrats.
But NRSC officials sought to highlight what they were portraying as insensitive to Americans hindered in their effort to obtain government services, and justified using the quotes in a format different from how they were presented.
The ad includes a disclaimer that AI was used in generating it, as seen on YouTube and when posted on the social media platform X by the NRSC.
“AI-generated content is here,” NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez told The Associated Press. “It’s going to be used in campaigns. It’s going to be up to legal and ethical parameters.”
“These are Chuck Schumer’s own words,” she added, “and video is a way for voters to see and hear it themselves.”
In addition to portraying Schumer as seizing political advantage from the shutdown, the ad also shows actual video of military service members in line at a food bank, with White House officials and Senate Republicans bemoaning the effects of the shutdown.
Despite the NRSC’s suggestion that it is merely visualizing Schumer’s words, the ad ends with some artistic license, featuring an AI-generated close-up of the Democratic leader with a wide grin on his face.
Calls and texts to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee seeking comment were not immediately returned.
