South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson calls for rules on AI political ads
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson calls for rules on AI political ads
Publish Date: 2026-06-03 22:45:00
Source Domain: www.wbtv.com
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTV) – You can tell it’s election season just by opening your social media feed. Political ads are everywhere as primary elections draw closer — but some of what you’re seeing (and hearing) may not be real.
Artificial intelligence-generated political ads are becoming more common, and critics say rules haven’t kept pace.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson told WBTV he was “disgusted” after seeing an ad that appears to show him taking — and brushing off — a phone call from President Donald Trump. The problem: the ad looks and sounds like Wilson, but it wasn’t actually him. It was created using AI.
Wilson is among a growing number of state attorneys general calling for clearer standards governing how AI can be used in campaign ads, arguing it’s needed to protect trust in the election process.
AI political ads spreading nationwide
Political ads using AI have surfaced in races across the country — including contests in Los Angeles, congressional races in Texas, and statewide campaigns in South Carolina.
Many of the ads include disclaimers noting AI was used, but experts say those warnings often don’t go far enough.
“These small disclaimers are almost invisible to most of us,” said Alon Yamin, CEO and founder of CopyLeaks, a platform that helps detect AI-generated content.
Yamin said the bigger issue is that many viewers assume what they’re seeing is real.
“A lot of people are still believing what they’re seeing… People just assume that whatever they’re seeing is still real,” Yamin said.
Patchwork rules — and none in the Carolinas
Yamin called the rise of deepfakes in political ads “extremely dangerous,” especially as technology becomes easier to use and harder to detect.
At least 30 states have adopted some form of regulation around AI use in politics. North Carolina and South Carolina do not have comprehensive statewide policies covering the issue, according to Yamin.
He also warned that deepfakes have been…
