Hochul said what??? Blakeman AI video may have violated election law - City & State New York
In May 2026, a campaign video using AI to mimic the voices of Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani sparked legal questions about deceptive political communication in New York.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani
A campaign video posted in May 2026 used AI to mimic the voices of two New York politicians, raising questions about compliance with New York's updated election law. The law requires disclaimers on AI-generated content.
What happened
The video, posted by a gubernatorial candidate, featured AI-generated audio of Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the style of an adult cartoon. The politicians were depicted making statements they never actually said. The video lacked an AI disclaimer when originally posted. After an inquiry, the campaign added a tag to the post indicating it was "Made with AI," but the disclaimer was not embedded in the video itself. Legal experts are divided on whether the video constitutes illegal deceptive political communication, with some arguing that the average viewer could reasonably believe the audio is legitimate.