Oct 22, 2026 · 28 min
AI slopaganda meets the $11 billion midterm ad machine
The rise of political slopaganda
Political campaigns are pairing surreal AI content with record spending, raising questions about persuasion, accountability, and whether advertising changes votes.
- 1AI-generated campaign content often works less as information than as a signal of partisan identity and cultural belonging.
- 2The projected $11 billion midterm price tag reflects megadonor influence, super PAC spending, and advertising beyond traditional battleground states.
- 3Both parties recycle familiar attack messages despite limited evidence that massive media buys reliably change voters’ minds.
Don't miss
Noel King’s explanation that surreal AI political videos can reinforce partisan identity and cultural narratives even when they convey little literal information.
The brief
Political advertising is entering an uncanny phase: campaigns and individuals use exaggerated AI images and videos to attract attention, perform partisan identity, and turn politics into spectacle.
Noel King argues that the apparent nonsense still carries meaning, reinforcing cultural narratives about masculinity, party allegiance, and the political “vibes” audiences already recognize.
The episode then widens its lens to the projected $11 billion 2026 midterms, where Elon Musk, Michael Bloomberg, megadonors, and super PACs shape who gets heard and where.
Spending is spreading into reliably Republican states, while Democrats emphasize Donald Trump and Republicans stress tax cuts, immigration, border security, and crime.
The central uncertainty remains stubbornly familiar: both parties spend tens of millions on attack ads, even as evidence about whether advertising changes minds stays limited.
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