By admin 
U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is attempting to crack down on AI-generated political ads as they become increasingly more prevalent in California races.
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On Monday, that would prohibit “fraudulent misrepresentation” of political candidates or committees through content generated by artificial intelligence. Schiff, who first introduced the legislation as a member of the House in 2024, is teaming up with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, on the effort.
The legislation would expand existing rules that ban the impersonation of candidates to include AI-generated content and remove the requirement that the misrepresentation must be “damaging.” AI ads have become more common in the last few months, particularly among California politicians.
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt gained viral attention in his unsuccessful campaign by repeatedly sharing AI content. One video portrayed him as the superhero Batman fighting crime in a dystopian city and battling Mayor Karen Bass, who was the villain Joker.
Last week, Republican governor candidate Steve Hilton released an AI-ad in which he is depicted as a gladiator who fights a machine that is intended to represent the state’s political establishment.
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“Fraudulent AI advertising has already proliferated in races across the country, and if Congress does not act, this runaway challenge will only get worse as AI becomes increasingly capable of blurring the lines between fact and fiction,” Schiff said in a written statement. “With November elections around the corner, time is of the essence to reign in false political advertising.”
The bill is supported by several nonpartisan nonprofits, including Protect Democracy, Common Cause and the Campaign Legal Center.
“Deceptive AI content online can manipulate voters, which is why we need this commonsense bill to ban AI ads that misrepresent candidates,” said Abigail Bellows, a senior policy director for anti-corruption and accountability at Common Cause. “This legislation will ensure new technology doesn’t outpace election transparency.”
Schiff also introduced a bill this week that would require online influencers to disclose whether their social media posts are paid for by political campaigns. That legislation comes after both Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra sponsored such posts in the lead up to California’s June gubernatorial primary.
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This story was originally published July 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM.