US midterms: Insane ad spending, Islamophobia and the influence of AI | The Listening Post

As the US holds its most expensive elections ever, political campaign ads have been all over television and social media but there’s also now another factor:AI. A deluge of cheap, fast and often Islamophobic AI-generated ads are blurring the line between reality and fiction and potentially misleading voters. And while the money pouring into this election is unprecedented, the advertising blitz and the polling data driving it point to a deeper problem for Republicans: President Donald Trump and his historically disapproval ratings. It is not easy to sell voters a party, when the figure at its centre has become its biggest liability. Recorded 29 October 2026. Featuring: John Fredericks – Host, The John Fredericks Show Katie Sanders – Editor-in-Chief, Politifact Matt Duss – Vice President, Centre for International Policy Wajahat Ali – Cohost, democracy-ish podcast https://www.instagram.com/ajlisteningpost https://www.facebook.com/AJListeningPost https://bsky.app/profile/ajlisteningpost.bsky.social https://x.com/ajlisteningpost #aljazeeraenglish #politics #midterms #news