AI-Generated Ads Flood Midterm Election Cycle

Campaigns heading toward the 2026 midterm elections are embracing artificial intelligence, and the technology is turning up both in everyday operations and in negative advertising. NBC's Ryan Nobles examined the trend in a TODAY segment dated October 21, 2026, that runs 2 minutes, 39 seconds, according to NBC News.

According to NBC, political operations are using AI tools to sift through data and to push their messages to voters more easily. The same fast-advancing technology, however, is appearing more and more in attack ads, and that has raised concern that the boundary between a replica and reality is getting harder to see.

The segment sits among other election-related videos on NBC's site that day. One covers an attack ad featuring a candidate's estranged mother that has sparked outrage, and another has Steve Kornacki breaking down early midterm voting numbers. Those items are listed separately, and nothing in the listing ties them to the AI segment or names the candidate involved.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →