{"id":16053,"date":"2026-05-15T11:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T03:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=16053"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T03:01:10","slug":"ai-generated-pro-spencer-pratt-mayoral-campaign-videos-point-to-a-new-political-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=16053","title":{"rendered":"AI-generated pro-Spencer Pratt mayoral campaign videos point to a new political reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt isn\u2019t a superhero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a slew of recent viral AI-generated videos portray him as Los Angeles\u2019 lone savior \u2014 helping thrust his mayoral campaign against Mayor Karen Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman into the spotlight in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pratt has denied involvement, calling the clips \u201cfan-made\u201d in a since-deleted Instagram video. He has reposted several of them on X while sharing his own \u201cman-made\u201d campaign videos that feature video of his wife, fellow \u201cThe Hills\u201d alum Heidi Pratt, and their son navigating life after their house burned down in the Palisades Fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s profile issuing their support and backing his bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a way of speaking the language of memes. And the language of memes is the currency of the internet,\u201d said Samuel Woolley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Communications. \u201cAt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pratt, who was the villain of MTV from 2006 to 2010 when \u201cThe Hills\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bass tops polls in her re-election bid, but Pratt continues to gain support among Angelenos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some online have praised Pratt\u2019s videos as \u201cbrilliant,\u201d while others have raised concerns about ethical AI use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with CNN, Bass described the viral AI-made videos as indicative of \u201ca very dangerous trend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pratt\u2019s social media campaign \u201cis now taking on a violent turn,\u201d she said, citing clips that show tomatoes being thrown at her or scenes that depict \u201cdrowning me and the governor in a reservoir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for Bass didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment. Pratt and Curran also didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Pratt hasn\u2019t addressed Bass\u2019 recent comments, he commented on general criticism geared toward his run Wednesday on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFunny how they never attack my policy ideas,\u201d he wrote, later adding: \u201cCome at my policies or go sit back down on the back bench. I\u2019m in the arena, son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eric Wilson, a political technologist for American conservatives, said that even as generative AI tools have allowed politicians \u2014 and their supporters \u2014 to whip up creative campaign materials much more quickly and with fewer resource constraints, the fundamentals of campaigning haven\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that our candidate looks good and the other candidate doesn\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pratt\u2019s fan-made videos manage to do that, he said, by telling a coherent story using heroes and villains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCampaigns have to weigh: Is the added benefit of the storytelling worth the trade-off in decrease in trust?\u201d Wilson said. \u201cSo it\u2019s still very much an open question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, he said, Pratt is \u201cbenefiting from the democratization of propaganda and the lack of regulatory oversight by social media platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA vote for Spencer is a vote for change. Why would you vote for change when everything is fine?\u201d a man says angrily in Pratt\u2019s video, holding the hand of what appears to be his crying daughter as homes burn in the background. \u201cStay the course with Karen Bass.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies have suggested that there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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\u2019t know how long this will hold,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a good chance that this kind of content will lead to people checking out of politics, but there\u2019s also a good chance that it will cause backlash and demands for a return to clear policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many creatives in Los Angeles, a historically progressive city, have already expressed a distaste for the use of generative AI \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTime will tell whether or not anger and vibes and memes are enough to get Pratt into the mayoral office in L.A.,\u201d Woolley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt isn\u2019t a superhero. But a slew of recent viral AI-generated videos portray him as Los Angeles\u2019 lone savior \u2014 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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":16054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2473,4141,3695],"class_list":["post-16053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-campaign","tag-pratt","tag-videos"],"yoast_head":"\nAI-generated pro-Spencer Pratt mayoral campaign videos point to a new political reality - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=16053\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AI-generated pro-Spencer Pratt mayoral campaign videos point to a new political reality - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt isn\u2019t a superhero. 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