Sympathy for the A.I. Devil
Will generative algorithms threaten democracy or are they getting a bad rap?
(Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest issue of ctrl+alt+persuade+delete. If you received this newsletter and it’s not for you, no problem - just hit unsubscribe below. But if you know someone looking for a fresh take on politics, media, and advertising in this critical election year please share!) - SC
With no competitive primaries scheduled until February 24th, campaign insiders and the media have been diving into year-end fundraising reports for the major candidates and their parties. While most coverage focused on Team Trump’s spending over $50 million of contributors’ money on legal expenses last year, a close look at the numbers shows that both candidates (as well as the parties) are lagging from this same time in 2020.
The advantage for the Biden camp is that they aren't having to spend as much without a primary opponent — but is it really an advantage?
Of course, you’ve heard of the saying "you have to spend money to make money." If you’re not sure that it’s true just ask whoever heads up your marketing department.
Does the concept apply to political campaigns as well? For years, candidates and their consultants have been trained to hold onto campaign funds for as long as possible — for all sorts of reasons. But even without a primary, now may be the time for Biden’s camp to spend on ads and capitalize on recent jobs reports and other strong economic data.
If it’s done right it will lead to more donations, including from small donors, while boosting his poll numbers.
Meanwhile, many in the media and ad world will be watching to see if earlier projections of as much as $17 billion in campaign spending holds true should fundraising continue to lag.
Prez Hopeful Fires AI Test Rocket — Fizzles at Liftoff
Long shot Dem presidential hopeful Dean Phillips recently launched an AI powered chatbot called the “DeanBot” using OpenAI’s ChatGPT conversational software. Unfortunately for Phillips the use of the technology goes against OpenAI’s terms of service and was taken down almost immediately.
The use of a chatbot with audio features — in this case a version of the candidate’s voice - has major implications for campaigns and brands going forward. With just a few words OpenAI’s statement says a lot:
“We recently removed a developer account that was knowingly violating our API usage policies which disallow political campaigning, or impersonating an individual without consent.”
Interpretation:
The last thing we want is gov’t/regulatory intervention, so we’re going to do it ourselves.
Those pesky actors who struck Hollywood studios for months may have been onto something. Did they envision the use of simulated voices in chatbots? Either way this is guaranteed going to show up in countless ways in campaigns, as well as Hollywood and the marketing world in ‘24.
Also of note, according to The Hill the idea behind “Dean.Bot” came from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Matt Krisiloff and Jed Somers, who launched We Deserve Better, a super PAC backing Phillips. Krisiloff previously served as chief of staff to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
For more on how Silicon Valley types are influencing democracy, check out this recent piece in The Atlantic titled The Rise of Techno Authoritarianism (paywall).
Or you can just watch this 15 seconds of congressional testimony from Zuck in 2018:
Political AI Grabs the Spotlight
AI in politics articles are popping up all over. Rather than analyze them for you, we decided to put three top AI platforms to the test to provide a “one paragraph” analysis of these three stories.
The results were crazy. Like, crazy good.
If you haven’t used these tools to analyze complex analysis or articles it’s worth trying. Just cut and paste the content from the articles below and request a summary from one of these AI platforms. (Tested using Claude.AI, ChatGPT, and Copilot.)
The impact of generative AI in a global election year (Jan 30, 2024) Brookings
How AI Is Transforming the Way Political Campaigns Work (Feb 1, 2024) The Nation
Exclusive: AI turbocharges campaign fundraising (Jan 30, 2024) Axios
If you’d rather keep reading, here are a few of most compelling takeaways:
AI significantly boosts fundraising efficiency for political campaigns, with OpenAI's ChatGPT aiding in garnering 4.4 times more dollars per work hour. (Axios)
AI tools like VotivateAI are reshaping campaign strategies by offering capabilities such as generating dynamic strategy memos and conducting natural-sounding voice calls, revolutionizing how campaign managers operate. Watch out agency account teams!! (The Nation)
Generative AI content has the potential to amplify disinformation campaigns in upcoming elections by making content higher quality, more substantively distinct, and easier to mass produce than past efforts. This technology can act as an amplifier for spreading false narratives, creating large volumes of convincing content with just a few clicks. (Brookings)
Enough bot talk, let's see if these human candidates can stir voter circuits with their ads…
Full disclosure: the above pun is courtesy of Claude.AI. Points deducted.
Presidential campaign ads aren’t exactly lighting up the screens here in soggy CA but they are around the country, with South Carolina seeing millions in spending in the GOP primary on what many beltway insiders see as Nikki Haley’s absolute final stand. (Hint: don’t listen to them).
Lots of content on social as well, with Biden taking the unusual step of going right at Trump on “Truth Social,” a social media platform created by Trump Media & Technology Group.
Take a look:
Confused Trump - Joe Biden
Thoughts: Dark Brandon is back, with the Biden team going hard after Trump on his very own Truth Social. Will it move any voters? Not likely, but looks like this ad buy has one major goal: to piss Trump off. It also generated tons of free media, so let’s call it a win.
Outsider - Trump
Thoughts: This is a fairly conventional ad by the standards of Team Trump. The copy is not bad, although it sounds like it was strung together with a bunch of random speeches. Question is: who is this targeted to? Trump voters aren’t hearing anything they don’t already know about him. Any guesses? Share your thoughts below.
Nikki Haley: Grumpy Old Men Say What?
Thoughts: Fresh off the heels of her SNL appearance, Nikki Haley goes hard on both Biden and Trump for…being old. This joke could have landed in less than 60 seconds but the video comes in at over two minutes, mostly thanks to extensive use of memes. Will it land? It could be effective but as they say “in for a penny, in for a pound.” When you throw your punch don’t pull it.
Bonus Ad: CA Congressional (CA-47)
Thoughts: This is one nasty ad…and it’s Democrat on Democrat in a highly competitive race for Katie Porter’s former seat in Orange County (seen here making a “special guest” appearance). Sharing also because yours truly ran a campaign that got hit with almost the exact same attack, and I still suffer from political PTSD thanks to the spot. It was effective in Pennsylvania, will it be in liberal California?
What’s Next?
South Carolina draws near, and California Senate candidates are starting to take the gloves off. Big time.
We will keep an eye out on things for you. Until then — happy advertising!
PS - Share any ads or content (good, bad, or awful) here ctrlaltpersuade@gmail.com.
Also on the lookout for contributors. If you have something to share about the ad world and Election ‘24 reach out at ctrlaltpersuade@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading Ctrl+Alt+Persuade+Delete!