Trump’s messaging to the manosphere is risky, but it’s just so bad it might work
Plus: This A.I. attack ad is wildly absurd on purpose
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This A.I. attack ad is wildly absurd on purpose
Trump’s messaging to the manosphere is risky, but it’s just so bad it might work
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This A.I. attack ad is wildly absurd on purpose
To bring North Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson’s most extreme words to life, one political group has turned to generative artificial intelligence.
Americans for Prosparody, a super PAC named as a play on the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, used an A.I. version of Robinson’s likeness and voice to talk about some of the wildest things he’s written IRL. Titled “A.I. Mark Robinson, Real Receipts,” the 60-second ad contains a label in the bottom left-hand corner that states “Contains AI-Generated Content,” and it opens with a lengthy note.
“A.I. technology was used in this ad,” it states. “The images and voice are not real, but these are all things GOP nominee for governor Mark Robinson has said and done.”
North Carolina voters are likely to be aware of some of Robinson’s more controversial statements, especially after CNN reported he made disturbing comments on a porn forum going back years, so viewers are primed for the absurd. The ad makers deliver.
Disclaimers aside, this video doesn’t try to hide the fact it was made with A.I. The parody version of Robinson is introduced holding up his hands with 14 fingers in front of a group of kids shown jumping, morphing, and melting into each other. Speaking at a convention for conspiracy theorists, the A.I. Robinson says things like Bill Cosby was the victim of the Illuminati and climate change is a hoax, ideas he’s posted about for real on Facebook.
It’s a visually striking ad, showing faked images like Robinson speaking in front of a computer’s attempt at the North Carolina flag as a bald eagle flies around his head and disappears with an explosion. Other scenes are provocative. A crowd of white men in suits holds white striped flags behind Robinson at one point, and then some raise firearms. Mind you, Robinson once called himself “a black NAZI,” according to posts CNN found.
Ads made with generative A.I. have been far and few between this year, and for good reason. In an industry where trust is currency, using a technology seen widely as deceptive isn’t the best play. The first attack ad to use A.I. images came from the Republican National Convention in April and imagined a bleak future under a second term for President Joe Biden. It was criticized, as was a social media video from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign that used A.I. to fake images of Trump hugging Anthony Fauci.
One smart use case for A.I. in a campaign ad came from a Silicon Valley Democrat who ran for U.S. House but lost in the primary. Using A.I., ad makers illustrated different parts of the world where the candidate’s military and public service took him. Considering it was for a techie Nor Cal district, it seemed clever, not cheap.
Lawmakers have introduced or passed laws governing the use of A.I. in campaign ads in at least 26 states. The Americans for Prosparody ad would be technically legal in North Carolina under a proposed state law that would require A.I.-generated ads to feature a disclaimer. It would, however, have to be edited slightly to conform to the specific language mentioned in the bill. “The content in this advertisement has been edited or created in whole or in part with the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI),” disclaimers would be required to read if the law passes.
But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean using A.I. is always a smart creative decision. At first, the idea of using A.I. to attack a candidate like Robinson, whose wildly extreme comments turn off independent and swing voters on their own, seemed counterproductive to me. But the absurdity works precisely because Robinson has said so many insane things.
“It's parodying both Mark Robinson's extremism and A.I. itself,” is how Todd Stiefel, the head of Americans for Prosparody, explained it to WNCN in Charlotte, N.C. To put it another way, the medium is the message. The unhinged nature of A.I. animation only helps to reinforce the ad’s claim that Robinson is an unhinged candidate.
Politics in the front, pop culture in the back.
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Trump’s messaging to the manosphere is risky, but it’s just so bad it might work
Former pro wrestler and Gawker slayer Hulk Hogan appeared in a digital fundraising ad in support of former President Donald Trump that ran from Aug. 14 to Sept. 5. Wearing yellow sunglasses and a bright red skull cap and Trump-Vance logo tee with the sleeves cut off, Hogan asks viewers to chip in and “bodyslam the Democrats this November.”
“All the Trumpamaniacs know that a vote for Donald Trump is a vote to save America, brother,” Hogan says. This is a message for the guys. The bros. The dudes. Pointing at the camera like Uncle Sam, Hogan says, “I want you to help my friend and tag team partner, a real American fight back.”
Campaigns are hyper focused on winning over young men this year, and unsurprisingly, the only U.S. president to also be a WWE Hall of Famer is sticking with what he knows. Whether or not enough male swing states voters find Trump’s approach convincing could determine the outcome of the election, but a new survey suggests Trump risks turning off more men than he wins over.