After AI deepfake campaign ad, St Charles Co Exec wants…

In July 2026, a St. Charles County executive candidate utilized an AI-generated advertisement to depict his political opponents, Steve Ehlmann and Bill Eigel, making extreme claims regarding property taxes, development, and campaign donations. Following his victory in the race, Ehlmann is now advocating for legislative guardrails to address the growing prevalence of deceptive AI content in political campaigns.

What happened

The incident involved a deepfake advertisement created by former candidate Jason Law. The video used AI to manipulate the likeness of Steve Ehlmann and Bill Eigel, showing them delivering statements they did not actually make. The content was sophisticated enough that State Representative Scott Miller noted he had to view the ad twice to verify its authenticity. Despite the ad remaining active on Facebook, Ehlmann emerged as the winner of the election, though he has not ruled out pursuing legal action to address the unauthorized use of his image.

In response to the ad, Representative Miller has proposed legislation focused on accountability. The bill would mandate that AI-generated political advertisements be clearly labeled. It suggests that if an entity creates unlabeled AI content that a viewer relies upon, there could be legal consequences. This legislative push comes as experts, such as Dr. Timothy Lewis of Harris-Stowe University, warn that approximately two-thirds of voters struggle to distinguish between genuine and AI-generated content. While Ehlmann expressed a preference for federal intervention, he remains skeptical of Congressional action, leading him and other state officials to consider local regulatory frameworks to fill existing legal gaps.