New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo used artificial intelligence (AI) to depict himself driving the subway, working as a stagehand and standing on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in his first advertisement of the general election. <\/p>\n
“I’m Andrew Cuomo, and I could pretend to do a lot of jobs,\u201d Cuomo says in the 30-second spot, as an AI-generated version of the former New York governor is depicted performing various roles. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know. And I do know how to make government work,\u201d he continued, adding, \u201cThere are a lot of jobs I can\u2019t do, but I\u2019m ready to be your mayor on day one.\u201d <\/p>\n
The mid-six-figure ad buy, which is set to air on broadcast, cable, streaming and social media, features a disclaimer over the AI portions, noting that \u201cthis political communication was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.\u201d <\/p>\n
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani quickly took aim at Cuomo\u2019s use of the technology. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn a city of world-class artists and production crew hunting for the next gig, Andrew Cuomo made a TV ad the same way he wrote his housing policy: with AI,\u201d he wrote on the social platform X. \u201cThen again, maybe a fake Cuomo is better than the real one?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mamdani holds a double-digit lead over Cuomo in most polls, according to a New York Times tracker. The New York City mayoral election is now a three-way race between Mamdani, Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, after incumbent Mayor Eric Adams dropped out over the weekend. <\/p>\n
Cuomo’s ad comes as politicians are increasingly experimenting with AI. President Trump has repeatedly shared AI-generated content throughout his second term, posting images of himself as everything from a pope to a “Star Wars” Jedi.\u00a0<\/p>\n