Voters Brace for Unprecedented AI-Generated Misinformation in 2026 Election

The rapid rise of AI in political campaigns has Pennsylvania officials grappling with a new frontier of potential misinformation, as the state prepares for what experts predict will be an unprecedented wave of AI-generated content in the 2026 election cycle.

In October, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is expected to challenge Governor Josh Shapiro in next year’s election, published an AI-generated image depicting Shapiro in his signature blue suit and glasses. The image showed the governor with a clipboard containing a to-do list marking “get a budget done” with a red X and “book another out of state fundraiser” with a green checkmark—criticizing Shapiro for attending fundraisers in New Jersey and Massachusetts during Pennsylvania’s budget impasse.

While some AI-generated political images like this one are clearly artificial, others produced by Garrity’s campaign have approached a more realistic appearance. Another post showed Shapiro in front of the Hollywood sign holding a “Newsom Shapiro 2028” sign, attempting to link him to California Governor Gavin Newsom and suggesting presidential ambitions.

“It’s a brave new world,” said political scientist Chris Borick of Muhlenberg College, who teaches a course on AI in politics. Borick compared AI’s growing influence to the transformative impacts television advertising had in the 1950s and social media in the 2010s.

When asked about these AI-generated images, Shapiro said he hasn’t seen them but assumed “they’re not very nice.” He emphasized his administration’s focus on information literacy, particularly helping students verify content they encounter online.

The phenomenon extends beyond Garrity’s campaign. State Senator Doug Mastriano, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022 and has hinted at another bid, has also employed AI to target Shapiro. In November, Mastriano shared an AI video clip on Facebook depicting Shapiro taking a selfie while saying, “Let’s get the light just right. Yeah, that’ll work. Perfect. Hashtag hard at work.”

A study commissioned by the American Association of Political Consultants found that 59% of political consultants already use AI tools at least weekly, most commonly for brainstorming marketing materials or internal communications.

Julie Sweet, an AI in politics specialist at AAPC, acknowledges the technology’s misuse but sees potential benefits. “That puts us in a far better position to combat against the bad actors and the disinformation actors,” Sweet said. “We, the good guys, need to know how to use these tools and use them in a responsible way.”

Behind the scenes, campaigns have long used AI tools to analyze voter data and tailor messaging. Kevin Harley, a GOP political consultant at Quantum Communications in Harrisburg, explained that campaigns collect extensive information about voters: “You know where they’re shopping. You know their neighborhoods. You know, basically, everything about somebody,” which can then be integrated with voter files to create highly targeted messaging.

The technology’s persuasive capabilities were highlighted in a recent Nature study, which found that AI chatbots were more effective at persuading voters than traditional marketing strategies. However, researchers noted these chatbots often made inaccurate or misleading claims, especially when promoting conservative candidates.

Pennsylvania has made some regulatory progress. In July, Governor Shapiro signed a law making non-consensual deepfakes a first-degree misdemeanor or third-degree felony if executed with malicious intent. The state House also passed a bill requiring campaigns to disclose AI use for impersonation, though the Senate has not yet acted on it.

State Representative Joe Ciresi, who chairs the Pennsylvania House’s Communications & Technology Committee, indicated lawmakers are planning broader AI regulations ahead of the 2026 election cycle, possibly in the form of an omnibus bill.

However, these state-level efforts face a significant challenge from the federal level. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aims to undermine state AI restrictions, granting the U.S. Attorney General power to challenge state laws deemed “excessive.” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has promised to defend the state’s AI regulations if challenged.

As the political landscape evolves with AI technology, Borick warned about the long-term impact of misinformation, particularly in a polarized environment. Voters will increasingly need to assess the authenticity of political content while navigating their own biases—a challenge that will define the upcoming election cycles in Pennsylvania and beyond.