About 80 million dollars has been spent on nearly 170 political ads that use AI in the 2026 US midterm campaigns, researchers have found. Most of the ads do not disclose the AI use.

The Wesleyan Media Project tracked the ads using data from media reports, student coders and AdImpact, a firm that monitors political ad spending. The 2026 midterms are the first US campaigns in which AI-generated political ads regularly appear on television and social media.

The researchers found AI use ranges from hyperrealistic deepfakes to subtle enhancements. Republican sponsors, both candidates and interest groups, are much more likely to use AI than Democratic sponsors. About 7 in 10 ads carried no AI disclosure.

Disclosure rules vary by state, forming a patchwork. In September, a federal judge temporarily barred Montana from enforcing its deepfake law, finding it likely threatened a conservative group’s free speech rights.

The findings raise questions for voters weeks before the midterms. A video without an AI warning has not necessarily passed an authenticity test. Researchers say lawmakers are struggling to keep up with how fast the technology is spreading.