Georgia Voters Struggle to Spot AI Political Ads
Most voters interviewed by CBS News Atlanta say they cannot tell when a political ad uses artificial intelligence, as Georgia has no deepfake rules.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections
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Most voters interviewed by CBS News Atlanta said they could not tell when a political ad used artificial intelligence. Georgia does not have rules on deepfakes in political ads, while 31 states do.
Why it matters
Making a fake video takes only a few minutes with free apps, and cloning a voice needed about seven seconds of audio. No tool can reliably detect fake videos right now, leaving Georgia voters to judge ads on their own ahead of Election Day.
A National Conference of State Legislatures count shows 31 states regulate deepfakes in political ads, while Georgia has no such rules. The CBS News Atlanta interviews did not report sample size, and no reliable detection tool currently exists.
The players
CBS News Atlanta
The Atlanta bureau of CBS News, the television network's local reporting arm that conducted the voter interviews on AI political ads.
Georgia Secretary of State
The state official who oversees Georgia's elections and runs the My Voter Page where residents look up their polling places.
Emory University
A private research university in Atlanta whose political science expert was quoted discussing AI in campaign advertising.
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta whose AI media expert was quoted on detecting synthetic content.
The details
Campaigns have used human actors in ads long before AI, but fake videos can now be made by downloading a free app or installing software, often from a single good photo. Voice cloning took about seven seconds of audio in the cited examples.
Timeline
Monday: CBS News Atlanta interviews voters about deepfake political ads.
Tuesday: Election Day in Georgia; voters can check their polling place on the Secretary of State's My Voter Page.
Political Context
The National Conference of State Legislatures counts 31 states with rules on deepfakes in political ads, leaving Georgia among the states without them. Critics of such laws generally argue that existing election-fraud and defamation statutes already cover the problem, though that position is not detailed in the extraction.
Georgia voters have no state rule requiring disclosure of deepfakes in political ads, so they must evaluate videos and audio themselves. Checking claims against the candidate's own published material before voting is a practical step while no reliable detection tool exists.
The takeaway
Because no tool can reliably detect fake political videos yet, voters should treat striking audio or video with skepticism and confirm claims through the candidate's own channels before Election Day.
What happens next
Election Day is Tuesday, when Georgia voters will cast ballots and can confirm their polling place on the Secretary of State's My Voter Page.
Further reading
Track the latest in Georgia Elections coverage ahead of Tuesday's vote.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBS News.
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