Republican mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt released an AI-generated campaign video depicting incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D-CA) as a villain.
The use of generative AI in the race marks a shift in campaign tactics within the city's political landscape. By leveraging viral content to portray his opponent as a villain, Pratt is attempting to gain traction in a heavily Democratic city.
The video was released in the week leading up to the May 2024 Los Angeles mayoral debate. According to reports, the AI-generated content depicts Bass as the Joker to criticize her response to wildfires.
Hilary Fordwich, the president and founder of Strelmark, said the impact of the video during an interview with Sky News Australia. Fordwich said Karen Bass is “running scared” after the release of Spencer Pratt’s hilarious new AI campaign video.
Pratt's strategy relies on high-visibility digital media to challenge the incumbent's image. The video has since gone viral, drawing attention to the Republican candidate's efforts to disrupt the traditional campaign cycle in Los Angeles.
Bass has not issued a formal response to the specific AI content. The video remains a central point of discussion as the candidates approach their scheduled debate.
“Karen Bass is “running scared” after the release of Spencer Pratt’s hilarious new AI campaign video.”
The emergence of AI-generated 'deepfake' style content in local municipal races reflects a growing trend of digital warfare in U.S. elections. By using hyper-visual, satirical AI to target an incumbent, candidates like Pratt are attempting to bypass traditional policy debates to trigger emotional responses from voters via social media algorithms.
