New campaign disclosures reveal how much American political campaigns spend on AI tools
Summary
Recent campaign finance data shows how much American political campaigns spend on artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Various candidates and parties are using AI for tasks like writing speeches or sending texts, but many do not explain exactly how they use these tools in their campaigns.Key Facts
- Since 2020, U.S. federal candidates and campaigns have spent at least $17 million on AI technology vendors.
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been used by about 80 federal campaigns, with about $50,000 spent, mostly by Republicans.
- Anthropic's Claude AI is used by at least 65 campaigns, with more Democrats than Republicans spending on it.
- Most campaigns choose either ChatGPT or Claude AI; only about 12% use both.
- Elon Musk’s xAI is used mainly by Republican campaigns, with about $5,000 spent so far.
- Political campaign-specific AI tools, like AmplifAI for automated texting, received $4.7 million in 2022 but spending has decreased since.
- A newer Democratic AI texting service, Daisychain, saw spending grow to about $300,000 in 2026.
- Candidates report AI spending mostly as office expenses or subscriptions, not as direct political services.
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