{"id":47178,"date":"2026-03-13T12:35:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T19:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=47178"},"modified":"2026-03-13T12:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T19:35:06","slug":"this-should-be-illegal-senate-gop-uses-ai-deepfake-to-attack-talarico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/13\/this-should-be-illegal-senate-gop-uses-ai-deepfake-to-attack-talarico\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This Should Be Illegal\u2019: Senate GOP Uses AI Deepfake to Attack Talarico"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"'This<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An attack ad posted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on March 11, 2026 uses a deepfake depiction of James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Texas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Screenshot from a video posted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee\/X)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPolitical deepfakes are a profound threat to our democracy, because there is no realistic way for voters to understand they are seeing fake representations,\u201d said the co-president of Public Citizen.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephen Prager<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mar 12, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the latest example of Republicans<\/a> using artificially generated deepfakes to attack their opponents, the Senate GOP\u2019s official social media<\/a> account has posted<\/a> an attack ad depicting a synthetic version of Texas<\/a> Democrat James Talarico, a state representative and US Senate<\/a> candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video, posted on Wednesday to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) page on X, portrays a frighteningly realistic approximation of Talarico\u2019s (D-50) appearance and voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The state representative, who\u00a0won<\/a>\u00a0the Democratic nomination for Texas\u2019\u00a0US Senate<\/a>\u00a0seat in a primary earlier this month, is depicted reading an array of old\u00a0social media<\/a>\u00a0posts that the NRSC\u00a0described<\/a>\u00a0as \u201cextreme statements praising transgenderism, twisting Christian beliefs, and advocating for open borders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/micah_erfan\/status\/2031880184450752737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2031880184450752737%7Ctwgr%5E4decda3659e0af6a8b4f0630cba7b7e9fcb40e28%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fgop-talarico-deepfake<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The posts were all real. Talarico did indeed state<\/a>, following a spate of mass shootings<\/a> against minorities in 2021, that \u201cradicalized white men are the greatest domestic terrorist threat in our country.\u201d He also did say<\/a> that his office had added personal pronouns to official business cards out of respect for transgender Texans, that he believed<\/a> God was \u201cnonbinary,\u201d and that he was<\/a> \u201cthe only teenage boy at Planned Parenthood\u2019s March for Women\u2019s Lives in 2004.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, all of the posts are at least several years\u2014if not more than a decade\u2014old. The video also depicts its AI simulacrum of Talarico smiling and reminiscing fondly about the posts, which he never actually did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo true,\u201d he is depicted saying after reading the tweet about \u201cradicalized white men.\u201d \u201cI love this one too,\u201d he says before reading the post about \u201cpronouns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from a small, translucent watermark in the bottom-right corner of the video, labeling it \u201cAI Generated,\u201d there is no indication that the video is a fabrication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While both sides of the aisle have dabbled in the use of AI to attack their opponents, Politico\u2019s Adam Wren has\u00a0noted<\/a>\u00a0that deepfakes were not being deployed equally and have become central to the \u201capproach\u201d of the\u00a0GOP<\/a>\u00a0in campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Week 3 of the Schumer Shutdown:

"Every day gets better for us." pic.twitter.com\/1qeNKhvcfI<\/a><\/p>— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) October 17, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>