The National Republican Senatorial Committee released a video featuring an AI-created version of Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, repeatedly uttering “Every day gets better for us” while smiling.
@NRSC/Annotation by NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
@NRSC/Annotation by NPR
Senate Republicans have launched a new attack advertisement that employs an AI-generated deepfake of Senator Chuck Schumer, using his actual words regarding the government shutdown.
This 30-second clip, shared on platforms like X and YouTube by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) last Friday, has sparked concern among many who believe it marks a troubling escalation in political advertising, potentially opening the door to a surge of AI-manipulated attack ads.
Tagged on X as “Week 3 of the Schumer Shutdown: ‘Every day gets better for us,'” the ad features an AI-crafted Schumer repeating the phrase with a grin. The clip ends with Schumer smiling as a narrator states, “The Schumer shutdown is making things worse across America and Democrats love it.”
The phrase “Every day gets better for us” originates from a quote Schumer gave to Punchbowl News on October 9, discussing the shutdown. He elaborated, “It’s because we’ve thought about this long in advance and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30 and we prepared for it … Their whole theory was – threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.”
Notably, the original article only presented Schumer’s words in text form, without any accompanying video or audio recordings.
According to an NRSC press statement, the ad “visualizes” Schumer’s remarks and was “partially produced using artificial intelligence software,” accompanied by an AI disclaimer.
The fabricated footage features a subtle, translucent NRSC logo watermark and the label “AI GENERATED” in the lower right corner. YouTube has also flagged the video with an “Altered or synthetic content” warning, noting that the audio or visuals were heavily edited or digitally created.
“These are Senator Schumer’s own words,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez told NPR via email. “We understand Schumer might prefer these statements remain unknown, but he made them, and this video allows voters to see and hear how proud he is of his shutdown.”
Schumer’s office has yet to provide a response to requests for comment.
While the quote itself is genuine, the use of AI to fabricate video footage crosses ethical boundaries, explained Hany Farid, a media forensics professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
“If they wanted to use the quote, they could have simply displayed an image of Schumer with the text overlaid, as is common practice. Creating a deepfake video of Senator Schumer is an entirely different matter,” Farid emphasized.
He also pointed out that the small AI disclaimer in the corner “is not a sufficiently clear or prominent notice, especially when most users are rapidly scrolling through social media feeds.”
The NRSC’s video has drawn criticism from journalists and commentators across the political spectrum, including those from conservative outlets.
Jon Levine, a political reporter for the Washington Free Beacon, tweeted, “The Schumer segment is AI-generated video – disclosed in the bottom right corner – but this signals the dawn of a frightening new era.”
Ramsey Touchberry, a congressional reporter at the Washington Examiner, added on X, “NRSC has increasingly incorporated AI into its ads, but this is the first time I’ve seen them create a fake video of an opponent. Even with the small AI label, this sets a dangerous precedent.”
Responding to the backlash, NRSC’s Rodriguez posted on her X account: “AI is here to stay. Adapt and succeed or resist and fail.”
This is not the first instance of Republicans using AI to mimic Schumer and other Democrats. Just before the shutdown, former President Trump shared an apparently AI-generated, profanity-filled video on Truth Social falsely portraying Schumer saying “nobody likes Democrats anymore,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared with exaggerated cartoon accessories.
However, unlike the NRSC’s recent video, those earlier AI creations were more obviously fabricated.
Farid cautioned that the increasing use of AI-generated fakes in political campaigns could erode public trust.
“While I don’t believe our leaders should be sharing deceptive deepfakes, they also risk that when they post genuine content, the public may doubt its authenticity,” he warned.
