When Politicians Share AI Slop, Democracy Suffers

Image by Elimende Inagella

In the age of AI-generated content, the line between fact and fiction is blurring faster than most of us can process. AI slop—low-quality, misleading, or entirely fabricated content created by generative tools—is flooding the internet. But it’s not just fringe actors or troll accounts pushing manipulated media. Alarmingly, elected officials are joining in.

That’s where the real danger lies.

When the people in power—those we entrust with making decisions on behalf of millions—begin using AI-generated images and videos to push political narratives, the consequences aren’t just digital. They’re deeply democratic.

As Brian Sathianathan, Co-Founder and CTO of Iterate.Ai, explains: “When people, especially elected officials or governing bodies in an official capacity, post AI generated images to push their own narrative, it erodes trust and fuels division. 

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Democracies rely on a well-informed public. When that public is misled by manipulated media—especially by those holding office—the social contract weakens. Trust in institutions begins to crumble. And in a year like 2025, where elections and political discourse are already fraught with division, that’s a risk we can’t afford.

While several U.S. states are beginning to take the problem seriously—introducing legislation that would require disclosures on AI-generated political ads or empower platforms to remove deepfakes—there’s still no comprehensive federal regulation in place. And without a national standard, bad actors have too much leeway.

“Some states in the US are working on legislation to require disclosures on AI-generated political ads or enabling platforms to take down deepfakes. That’s a step in the right direction. But we still don’t have any solid federal rules, and that’s leaving a big gap,” adds Sathianathan. 

That gap is being exploited. AI tools are now powerful enough to create realistic videos of public figures saying things they never said, or showing up at events they never attended. Combine that with the viral speed of social media, and you have the perfect conditions for coordinated misinformation campaigns. The troubling part? We’ve already seen examples of this being used to sway public opinion, sow distrust, and even incite violence.

It’s easy to point fingers at social media platforms or tech developers for letting AI slop spread—but elected officials have a responsibility too. They are, after all, meant to set an example. When they amplify or create AI-generated content without disclosure—especially in their official capacity—they send a dangerous message: that bending reality is fair game in political discourse.

We need better laws, yes. But we also need leaders who understand the ethical weight of their words and posts.

Sathianathan makes the call clear: “We need clear limits on how AI can be used in political speech—especially by elected officials. If someone is speaking in an official capacity, the public deserves to know whether what they’re seeing or hearing is real. Otherwise, AI just becomes another tool for misinformation and manipulation.”

AI itself isn’t inherently harmful. In fact, it can be a powerful tool for transparency, accessibility, and communication—when used responsibly. But in the hands of politicians looking for quick wins or viral moments, the same technology becomes a weapon.

This isn’t about stifling speech. It’s about preserving truth.

As we approach future election cycles, and as generative tools become more widespread and convincing, the question isn’t whether AI will impact political discourse. It already is. The question is whether our lawmakers will take action before it becomes impossible to tell what’s real from what’s fake.

Until then, we should hold our leaders accountable—not just for what they say, but how they choose to say it.

Because when elected officials abandon the truth for the sake of optics, it’s not just misinformation. It’s a betrayal of the very foundation of democracy.