--- title: "This Fully AI-Generated Political Ad Is Both Hilarious and Terrifying" description: "Using AI visuals and IRL quotes, a parody PAC is taking on NC GOP candidate Mark Robinson and the tech itself." date: "2024-09-25" modified: "2024-09-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mark-robinson-ai-parody-ad" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "ai" - "mark robinson" - "politics" - "the digest" --- # This Fully AI-Generated Political Ad Is Both Hilarious and Terrifying ![Using AI visuals and IRL quotes, a parody PAC is taking on NC GOP candidate Mark Robinson and the tech itself.]() *\Image: Americans for Prosparody via YouTube\* ## PAC Man Using AI-generated visuals and IRL quotes, a parody political action committee (PAC) is taking on North Carolina's [embattled lieutenant governor]() and GOP candidate Mark Robinson — and AI itself. Released by a group calling itself Americans for Prosparody, the [fake ad]() has all the hallmarks of AI uncanniness: weird hands and fingers, jerky serpentine motions, and a voice that sounds like Robinson's but somehow inhuman. On the fake "[Mark Rottensen]()" campaign website created by the PAC, which was founded by Raleigh investor and [Democratic donor Todd Stiefel](), Americans for Prosparody notes that everything the fake version of the gubernatorial candidate says in the phony attack ad are real quotes from the pol himself. "When I speak to school shooting survivors," the fake Robinson intones, "I say 'Shut Up You Spoiled Little Bastards!'" That quote, as the "Rottensen" website notes, comes directly from a [2018 Facebook post]() the Republican made in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school massacre. https://youtu.be/ZqdhrEN6XbE ## Parody Politics Stiefel, the fake PAC leader, told [local broadcaster *WCNC*]() that the ad is "parodying both Mark Robinson's extremism and AI itself." As he notes, the ad includes large-font disclaimers at its beginning and end to denote that it was created by AI. "These are tools that are available to everyone, which is great that we have this new technology," Stiefel told the Raleigh news outlet. "A little scary for when this technology is used by bad actors — if you don't cover it in disclaimers, it can be used for misinformation." This approach is not without controversy. Earlier this month, Amanda Sturgill, a journalism professor Elon University — and no, there's no relation — [told Raleigh's *WRAL*]() that disclaimers aside, the AIads might confuse voters. "The problem really is that \[AI\] can be deeply confusing to people," she explained, "particularly when you're using a technology that makes it sound like it is the candidate themselves." This potential for confusion could be made worse by the fact that Robinson, who's in the midst of a very real scandal regarding [racist and sexist posts]() he seemingly made more than a decade ago on a [porn forum]() amid the use of [other sex sites](), has [implausibly claimed]() the posts were somehow generated using AI. In a statement to *WRAL*, Robinson spokesperson Mike Lonergan said Stiefel's ad is "full of fake clips" meant to "smear" the GOP gubernatorial nominee — which, to be fair, is the point of using disclaimed AI in an attack ad. **More on Robinson:** [*Close Trump Ally Mark Robinson Linked to More Sex Websites*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()