Viral deepfake videos casting Spencer Pratt as a cinematic savior have unexpectedly thrust the reality TV star's Los Angeles mayoral campaign into national conversation, raising urgent questions about how artificial intelligence is reshaping political competition in real time.
The videos, created by filmmaker Charlie Curran, reimagine Pratt battling Mayor Karen Bass in lightsaber duels, portraying him as a Batman figure against a villainous Bass, and depicting her drowning alongside Governor Gavin Newsom. The posts have accumulated millions of views across social media platforms. Pratt has publicly denied orchestrating the clips, calling them "fan-made" content while simultaneously reposting several on X. He has paired these with his own campaign videos featuring his wife Heidi Pratt and their son, documenting their life after losing their home in the Palisades Fire.
The unconventional digital strategy has attracted celebrity endorsements from Paris Hilton, Taylor Lautner, and Perez Hilton, all publicly backing Pratt's bid against Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman. Bass, the frontrunner in polling, has pushed back hard, characterizing the AI campaign as part of "a very dangerous trend" and describing the violent imagery as crossing ethical lines.
Samuel Woolley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh studying emerging technology and manipulation, frames the phenomenon as a watershed moment in American politics. "It's a way of speaking the language of memes. And the language of memes is the currency of the internet," he said. The accessibility and low cost of generative AI tools mean almost anyone can now produce sophisticated propaganda supporting a candidate, he noted.
Political technologist Eric Wilson acknowledged that while AI has accelerated campaign content creation, the core strategy remains unchanged: make your candidate look good and the opponent look bad. He cited polling data showing Republicans are more likely than Democrats to deploy AI in campaigns, with President Donald Trump already establishing a template of heavy meme reliance as political branding.
Yet Wilson cautioned that candidates face a trust paradox. Research by the American Association of Political Consultants found that adding AI disclaimers to videos actually decreases viewer trust, regardless of whether the content was truly AI-generated. "Campaigns have to weigh: Is the added benefit of the storytelling worth the trade-off in decrease in trust?" Wilson said.
Bass criticized the videos as depicting violence, pointing to clips showing tomatoes thrown at her and scenes of her drowning. Pratt responded by attacking critics indirectly, posting on Instagram: "Funny how they never attack my policy ideas."
The campaign has exposed a widening partisan divide in AI adoption. Woolley's recent interviews with political consultants revealed that operatives across the ideological spectrum now feel compelled to embrace generative AI or risk obsolescence. Yet he warned of potential backlash, particularly in Los Angeles, a city with a historically progressive creative community skeptical of synthetic media.
A recent Pratt video deployed satire against himself, functioning as an attack ad that paradoxically highlighted his appeal. A man in the spot angrily lists reasons to reject Pratt while homes burn and a child cries, saying voters should "stay the course with Karen Bass." The framing inverted typical attack ad mechanics, suggesting Pratt may have understood that overly negative messaging could backfire.
Woolley expressed uncertainty about the strategy's long-term viability. "There's a good chance that this kind of content will lead to people checking out of politics, but there's also a good chance that it will cause backlash and demands for a return to clear policy," he said. The question remains whether Pratt's viral AI blitz translates into actual votes or collapses under the weight of online fatigue and deepfake skepticism.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Pratt's campaign proves AI memes are becoming serious political currency, but LA voters will ultimately decide whether viral vibes can unseat an incumbent focused on substance."
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