Overview
- Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden has published AI-generated videos that depict a figure resembling Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke and reuse themes from his campaign attacks.
- Cooke and the Eau Claire County Democratic Party called the clips misleading and manipulative and said they amount to character defamation.
- The Van Orden campaign says each post includes a visible AI disclaimer and describes the material as satirical political speech.
- Wisconsin’s 2024 law requires disclosure when AI is used in paid campaign advertisements but does not explicitly cover organic or unpaid social media posts, leaving an enforcement gap experts say is common across states.
- The case fits a wider pattern as 28 states now have some AI disclosure rules, platforms add easy-to-use generative tools, and advocates push federal bills that face legal and practical hurdles because of free-speech limits and enforcement challenges.