AI video featuring LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt sparks debate over the tech's role in politics
An AI-generated political video featuring former reality TV star and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt as a Batman-like figure has gone viral, drawing attention not only for its over-the-top imagery but also for the growing role of artificial intelligence in political messaging.
The video portrays Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as a villainous Joker-like figure and Gov. Gavin Newsom as French royalty eating cake, while Pratt appears as a hero swooping in, apparently to save Los Angeles and California from chaos.
The cinematic ad was created using artificial intelligence and visual effects, underscoring how quickly AI-generated content is becoming part of modern political campaigns and online influence efforts.
On whether the video is ultimately good or bad for voters, Mindy Romero, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Inclusive Democracy, said, "It depends on your perspective."
"As far as we know, Spencer Pratt is not Batman," Romero joked, adding that most voters are generally able to recognize when a viral video is AI-generated.
The video was created by filmmaker Charles Curran, not by an official campaign committee, and Curran has not publicly disclosed who financed the production. Pratt shared the video on his own social media accounts.
Still, the video is raising broader concerns about how AI could be used to manipulate voters, particularly as increasingly realistic deepfake technology becomes more widespread.
A California law enacted in 2025 requires certain political advertisements using AI-generated or substantially altered content to include disclosures alerting viewers that the material is artificial. The law is overseen by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
Republican strategist Tab Berg said the Spencer Pratt video appears more comedic than deceptive.
"The Spencer Pratt spot is exactly what AI should be, which is using innovation and technology to make an interesting ad that is not trying to fool voters," Berg said.
But Berg warned that AI becomes far more dangerous when political operatives use the technology to mislead the public.
"Where they've literally changed the words of elected officials who are speaking to change the meaning," he said.
The Fair Political Practices Commission has asked lawmakers for additional funding to help identify AI-generated campaign advertisements. Officials say they have received allegations involving misuse of AI in politics, though no formal violations have been issued so far.
CBS News Sacramento has reached out to both Newsom and Bass' offices for comment but has not received an official statement.
