Michigan Democrats criticize AI in elections following GOP candidate’s fake MLK Jr. voice stunt

A pair of Michigan Democrats want Congress to address artificial intelligence usage in campaigns after a congressional candidate from their state used an AI voice-over of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to support his campaign.

Long-shot Republican Anthony Hudson, who is running in the GOP primary for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, released a video last week on TikTok using an AI-generated voice-over depicting King proclaiming he had “another dream” and that it was for Hudson to win the congressional seat. House Administration Committee ranking member Joe Morelle (D-NY), alongside Reps. Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), expressed concern over the use of AI and called on Congress to act in a release on Tuesday.

“Campaign advertisements with AI-generated content should at a minimum have a Disclaimer so voters can make informed decisions about their vote,” Kildee, who represents Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, said in a statement.

“Congress must act to address the risks that artificial intelligence poses to our democracy and ensure commonsense guardrails are in place for the use of AI in our elections,” Kildee added.

Dingell said the advertisement is “disturbing and wrong,” noting that the threat AI can pose to the democratic process must be addressed.

“As we work to defend our democracy against the dangerous and growing spread of disinformation, we must keep up with rapidly emerging and evolving technologies including AI,” Dingell said.

“It’s disturbing and wrong that anyone would use this technology to fabricate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice to further their political agenda and intentionally mislead voters,” she added. “We must address this threat quickly to protect the integrity of our elections and ensure this does not continue to happen.”

At the state level, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) signed into law last November legislation that required AI-generated campaign advertisements to include a statement saying such, among other regulations.

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Hudson had initially apologized for the video but later said King would endorse him if he were still alive today and walked back a claim he would fire the staffer who had access to his social media account. Recent polls have indicated that Hudson has roughly 1% or 2% support in the GOP primary.

The race for Michigan’s 8th District is rated as a “toss up” by the Cook Political Report.