Spencer Pratt's AI-powered mayoral campaign reveals how technology reshapes political messaging

AI-generated pro-Spencer Pratt mayoral campaign videos point to a new political reality

LOS ANGELES -- Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt isn't a superhero. But a slew of recent viral AI-generated videos portray him as Los Angeles' lone savior -- helping thrust his mayoral campaign against Mayor Karen Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman into the spotlight in recent weeks. Many of the videos, created by filmmaker Charlie Curran, cast Pratt in cinematic, hero-style scenarios: battling Bass in a lightsaber duel while California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris scheme behind the scenes or appearing as a Batman-like figure opposite a Joker-esque Bass. The posts have been viewed millions of times on social media. Pratt has denied involvement, calling the clips "fan-made" in a since-deleted Instagram video. He has reposted several of them on X while sharing his own "man-made" campaign videos that feature video of his wife, fellow "The Hills" alum Heidi Pratt, and their son navigating life after their house burned down in the Palisades Fire. The content surrounding the campaign has drawn praise from a handful of celebrities, including reality star/entrepreneur Paris Hilton, actor Taylor Lautner and celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton. Many have commented on Pratt's profile issuing their support and backing his bid. Experts say the buzz stemming from the AI-generated videos underscores how the technology is becoming a powerful campaign tool among politicians looking to lambaste their opponents in a more unconventional way. "It's a way of speaking the language of memes. And the language of memes is the currency of the internet," said Samuel Woolley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Communications. "At this point, the technology has become widespread, and nearly anyone can effectively create propaganda on behalf of a particular candidate. So the ease of use and the cost of use is particularly, particularly appealing." Pratt, who was the villain of MTV from 2006 to 2010 when "The Hills" aired, has been running a campaign in which he brands himself as an antiestablishment community advocate. He has criticized Bass for her handling of the Palisades Fire, as well as the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. Bass tops polls in her re-election bid, but Pratt continues to gain support among Angelenos. Some online have praised Pratt's videos as "brilliant," while others have raised concerns about ethical AI use. In an interview with CNN, Bass described the viral AI-made videos as indicative of "a very dangerous trend." Pratt's social media campaign "is now taking on a violent turn," she said, citing clips that show tomatoes being thrown at her or scenes that depict "drowning me and the governor in a reservoir." A spokesperson for Bass didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Pratt and Curran also didn't respond. While Pratt hasn't addressed Bass' recent comments, he commented on general criticism geared toward his run Wednesday on Instagram. "Funny how they never attack my policy ideas," he wrote, later adding: "Come at my policies or go sit back down on the back bench. I'm in the arena, son." Eric Wilson, a political technologist for American conservatives, said that even as generative AI tools have allowed politicians -- and their supporters -- to whip up creative campaign materials much more quickly and with fewer resource constraints, the fundamentals of campaigning haven't changed. "We want to make sure that our candidate looks good and the other candidate doesn't," he said. Pratt's fan-made videos manage to do that, he said, by telling a coherent story using heroes and villains. Wilson also said Republicans are likelier to use AI in their campaign strategies than Democrats, citing recent poll results by the American Association of Political Consultants. And within the GOP, President Donald Trump has already set a precedent of heavy reliance on AI-generated memes as part of his political branding. But politicians should also be wary of harming their message by aligning themselves too closely with AI-generated media, Wilson said. Tests by the AAPC have shown that adding AI disclaimers to videos decreases trust among viewers, regardless of whether the videos were actually AI-generated. "Campaigns have to weigh: Is the added benefit of the storytelling worth the trade-off in decrease in trust?" Wilson said. "So it's still very much an open question." But Woolley, whose work focuses on emerging technology and manipulation, said he doubts the risk of backlash is high enough right now for campaigns to discourage their supporters from using it. Instead, he said, Pratt is "benefiting from the democratization of propaganda and the lack of regulatory oversight by social media platforms." Pratt shared his own AI-generated video this week in the form of an attack ad against himself that actually lists his selling points. (The post comes after a labor union backing Bass funded a supposed attack ad that made Pratt look so appealing to Republican voters that analysts suspected it was a ploy to help him make the runoff against Bass, thus pushing Raman, her main Democratic opponent, out of the race.) "A vote for Spencer is a vote for change. Why would you vote for change when everything is fine?" a man says angrily in Pratt's video, holding the hand of what appears to be his crying daughter as homes burn in the background. "Stay the course with Karen Bass." Studies have suggested that there's more skepticism over the political use of generative AI on the American left than on the right, Woolley said. But his team recently learned through interviews with political consultants and data scientists that political campaigns on both sides of the aisle feel they have to start using generative AI or be left behind. "I think that AI-driven meme wars are already becoming the state of politics online. But crucially, people are very exhausted by the amount of noise online and by AI slop. And so I don't know how long this will hold," he said. "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." Many creatives in Los Angeles, a historically progressive city, have already expressed a distaste for the use of generative AI -- which could pose a risk to Pratt, Woolley said. But the videos have also appeared to bolster his popularity online, which Woolley said could force his opponents to take him more seriously. "Time will tell whether or not anger and vibes and memes are enough to get Pratt into the mayoral office in L.A.," Woolley said.

AI video featuring LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt sparks debate over the tech's role in politics

An AI-generated political video featuring former reality TV star and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt as a Batman-like figure has gone viral, drawing attention not only for its over-the-top imagery but also for the growing role of artificial intelligence in political messaging. The video portrays Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as a villainous Joker-like figure and Gov. Gavin Newsom as French royalty eating cake, while Pratt appears as a hero swooping in, apparently to save Los Angeles and California from chaos. The cinematic ad was created using artificial intelligence and visual effects, underscoring how quickly AI-generated content is becoming part of modern political campaigns and online influence efforts. On whether the video is ultimately good or bad for voters, Mindy Romero, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Inclusive Democracy, said, "It depends on your perspective." "As far as we know, Spencer Pratt is not Batman," Romero joked, adding that most voters are generally able to recognize when a viral video is AI-generated. The video was created by filmmaker Charles Curran, not by an official campaign committee, and Curran has not publicly disclosed who financed the production. Pratt shared the video on his own social media accounts. Still, the video is raising broader concerns about how AI could be used to manipulate voters, particularly as increasingly realistic deepfake technology becomes more widespread. A California law enacted in 2025 requires certain political advertisements using AI-generated or substantially altered content to include disclosures alerting viewers that the material is artificial. The law is overseen by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Republican strategist Tab Berg said the Spencer Pratt video appears more comedic than deceptive. "The Spencer Pratt spot is exactly what AI should be, which is using innovation and technology to make an interesting ad that is not trying to fool voters," Berg said. But Berg warned that AI becomes far more dangerous when political operatives use the technology to mislead the public. "Where they've literally changed the words of elected officials who are speaking to change the meaning," he said. The Fair Political Practices Commission has asked lawmakers for additional funding to help identify AI-generated campaign advertisements. Officials say they have received allegations involving misuse of AI in politics, though no formal violations have been issued so far. CBS News Sacramento has reached out to both Newsom and Bass' offices for comment but has not received an official statement.

MAGA Rallies Around Spencer Pratt's L.A. Mayoral Candidacy

The former reality star is winning over conservatives, in part through a viral AI campaign video Every few years, the national conservative movement coalesces around a Republican in California who they swear will finally break the Democratic grip on the Los Angeles mayoral race. Last cycle, it was the real estate billionaire Rick Caruso - a mogul who positioned himself at the nexus of respectable Californian fiscal conservatism and the MAGA movement. This cycle, it's Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star conservatives are lauding for his performance during the city's mayoral debate this week, and for his campaign videos -- particularly a superhero-themed AI one that has gone viral this week. The video, made by AI-filmmaker Charles Curran, depicts the most prominent California Democrats, including incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, as comic book villains. Kamala Harris is portrayed as a puppet on strings. Pratt helps save the day as a Batman-esque superhero. Here it is, if you can stomach it: The visceral unpleasantness of Curran's video does not seem to affect the cadre of conservative boosters, who have lauded the video. "Maybe the best political ad of the year," wrote former Donald Trump punching bag Jeb Bush. "This is basically a maximalist expression of what political ads can do," added disgraced former congressman Matt Gaetz. "This is fantastic," wrote Fox News host Laura Ingraham. It isn't just the AI video. Meghan McCain was an early proponent of Pratt's campaign, and recently praised his communication style, writing that he represents a "blueprint for how my generation of older millennials needs to communicate and present their ideas and campaign messaging when running for office" and praising his "raw talent." Right-wing influencers Libs of TikTok also lauded Pratt's debate performance, sharing a clip in which he said no when asked if noncitizens should be allowed to vote in local elections, while Bass and fellow candidate Nithya Raman explained that it depends and that plenty of noncitizens are living in the United States legally. Right-wing tech guy Chamath Palihapitiya also praised Pratt's debate performance. "Spencer Pratt is coherent and reasonable," he wrote. "If he becomes LA's next mayor he will return that city to safety and greatness. Please watch the entire debate and judge for yourself." Elon Musk, another noted right-wing tech guy, is also a fan. The MAGA billionaire retweeted Republican flak Richard Grenell urging people to vote for Pratt. "Anyone in LA who isn't voting for @spencerpratt is a total idiot," Grenell wrote. "This isn't even close." Pratt's campaign has centered around cleaning up the streets of Los Angeles, and drilling down on how the city's Democratic leadership handled the 2025 wildfires, which burned down Pratt's Pacific Palisades home. Despite all of the right-wing hype, Pratt is still something of a longshot to win the race in the liberal stronghold, with Bass currently leading most polls, followed by Raman, a local council member. The praise for Pratt follows a familiar pattern of intense interest in an outlier candidate, but as California's statewide and municipal elections have grown closer in recent years, there's always a chance a Pratt or Caruso figure can break through. The right is hoping for its own Zohran Mamdani moment -- getting enough social media traffic to make their chosen provocateur break out. But the content itself isn't the same: while the AI video's depictions of socialist supersoldiers propping up elite, authoritarian Democrats may titillate national commentators, it seems unlikely that they'll move the needle as well as Mamdani's constant live-produced content did. For Pratt's part, though, he's certainly not camera-shy.