AI TRENDS | AI Faces Voters Across Multiple Races in U.S. Midterm Elections

AI is appearing across U.S. political campaigns ahead of today's midterm elections, as voters increasingly use chatbots to learn about candidates and ballot measures, though estimates of how widespread this practice is vary. According to Sina Finance, National Conference on Citizenship data showed that some adults had asked chatbots about congressional or gubernatorial candidates last month, while Pew Research Center estimated a much lower share. Campaigns are tailoring online materials for AI chatbots and building Reddit and YouTube accounts. AI is also enabling advertisers to target voters with customized ads based on personal information. The Wesleyan Media Project found that political advertisers spent about $80 million on AI-generated or AI-optimized ads, most without disclosure notices. Some Republican politicians have adopted U.S. President Donald Trump's term 'superintelligence' (SI), while others are calling for stronger AI regulation. Candidates have also linked opponents to data centers, and Wisconsin, Kansas, and Ohio have local ballot measures on the issue. This election includes more than 40 local ballot measures, over 30 gubernatorial races, and numerous mayoral and county contests. Some measures and election outcomes could further tighten controls on data center construction. The results may show which campaign messages and tools resonated with the public, but the election is unlikely to provide clear conclusions on AI. It is not possible to determine whether a candidate's victory or defeat resulted from a particular AI ad or policy.