Does the GOP Know How to Run Against Biden?

The RNC's first salvo against the President is emblematic of their messaging struggles.

The Republican National Committee responded to President Biden’s reelection campaign announcement with a pre-produced video that generated attention in the media.

Most of the political reporters were fascinated that the RNC used AI-generated images in the video. As Axios reported:

The video features AI-created images appearing to show Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrating at an Election Day party, followed by a series of imagined reports about international and domestic crises that the ad suggests would follow a Biden victory in 2024 … AI-generated images are disrupting art, journalism, and now politics. The 2024 election is poised to be the first election with ads full of images generated by modern Artificial Intelligence software that are meant to look and feel real to voters.

This was a clever PR trick from the GOP. The media is obsessed with AI; so the best way to get anything covered nowadays is to utilize AI. I am also fascinated by the recent developments in AI and think a lot about how large language models and image generators can be used in politics (more on this soon). But that’s not why I am interested in the RNC video. Their use of AI is very rudimentary and beyond the point. The RNC could have achieved the same goal with stock photos and b-roll off the shelves.

The video tells us how the Republicans see the upcoming race against Biden. It is emblematic of the party’s continued struggles to form a compelling anti-Biden narrative.