California's gubernatorial race has sparked transparency concerns over campaigns' use of paid social media influencers and AI-generated attack ads to reach voters online, according to a November 2 report from CapRadio. The controversy centers on whether voters can tell the difference between personal opinions and paid political messaging, and what questions candidates might be dodging. Both practices have triggered complaints to California's Fair Political Practices Commission and prompted new disclosure laws.
The influencer dispute erupted during the primary when billionaire Tom Steyer's campaign faced scrutiny for paying creators to post favorable content without disclosing the payments. Steyer's team filed a complaint alleging that two creators supporting Democratic nominee Xavier Becerra, including Jordan "Jay" Gonzalez, failed to reveal payments from Becerra's campaign. Becerra's campaign denied paying outside creators for undisclosed political content, while Gonzalez said he wasn't paid for the content in question. Gonzalez had been posting supportive content about Becerra before joining the campaign as a full-time social media strategist in April, later adding disclosures to some earlier posts. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Steve Hilton has regularly used AI-generated videos in ads attacking Becerra, including one depicting Becerra being auctioned off to utility companies, oil executives and large unions. Hilton's campaign added disclosures at the end of videos saying they were generated or substantially altered using AI. After winning the primary, Becerra kept a low profile and declined most interview requests, according to a late September KQED article.
Adam Silver, chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, said the agency has seen an increase in complaints involving both AI and paid influencer posts. A new state law taking effect in January will create administrative and civil liability for both the campaign paying an influencer and the influencer who fails to include a required disclaimer. "I think it's really important that the public understand whether there could be bias there," Silver said. The law also requires more specific reporting of campaign spending on influencers to make it easier for regulators, journalists and the public to identify those payments and check whether posts include the required disclosures. Jason Turcotte, chair of the communications department at Cal Poly Pomona, said he's concerned about candidates replacing traditional news access with digital and social media. "It's convenient for politicians, right?" he said. "But I think it's a loss for the public and for voters because we're not going to be held to the same level of account as pre-social media."
The report explains that campaigns' reliance on creators reflects a broader shift toward digital communication that's been developing for years, with some content creators arguing they can reach audiences where they are and hold candidates accountable in new ways. However, Silver expressed concern about "trend simulation," where multiple creators are paid to share specific clips to make a message appear to be spreading organically, a tactic used predominantly in entertainment marketing that could become more common in politics. The challenge with AI-generated content is that California law doesn't require a disclaimer for every use of AI. Silver noted that if a disclaimer is broadly applied, "you're basically going to have a disclaimer on almost every single piece of campaign advertising," making the warning ineffective similar to Proposition 65 warnings at Starbucks. That's why he wants state agencies to work with social media platforms to identify and address misleading content faster than regulators can investigate individual complaints.
Comedy correspondent Sophia Garrow, who interviewed both candidates for The San Francisco Standard, said she sees her role primarily as a comedian but believes comedy can challenge people in power. She cautioned voters against placing too much trust in online personalities, particularly when creators don't clearly disclose if they're being paid. "I also would not put 100% of your trust in content creators," she said. "It is the job of the viewer, the voter, to kind of do their research and to look into things and make their own educated decisions." Political content creator Eric Cheng, who has interviewed Becerra several times, predicted that content creators and influencers will play an even larger role in covering campaigns in the future, noting that as mistrust in traditional media proliferates due to corporate consolidation, more trust will be placed on independent journalists and content creators. The challenge for voters is weighing those benefits against the risks.