Etzioni on AI: $137M spent on AI-generated midterm ads, and most voters can’t spot the fakes

AI-generated images from 2026 political ads targeting James Talarico, Mike Mazzei, Peggy Flanagan, Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani. (NRSC; Make Oklahoma Great Again PAC via Oklahoma PBS; North Star Dawn PAC via KSTP; Blakeman for Governor) The midterm elections are around the corner, and campaigns and PACs have already spent more than $137 million to air AI-made ads, including an 85-second video in which Texas Senate candidate James Talarico looks into the camera, reads his old tweets aloud, and