Former Governor Andrew Cuomo has released an AI-generated campaign advertisement that humorously showcases him struggling with various occupations, such as an MTA subway operator, a window cleaner, and a stockbroker.
In the $45,000 ad that premiered on Wednesday, Cuomo’s campaign leveraged artificial intelligence to depict the mayoral aspirant at the controls of a subway train, suspended from a skyscraper, and on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
“I’m Andrew Cuomo, and I can pretend to do many jobs,” the AI incarnation of Cuomo announces in the 30-second clip.
“However, I am aware of what I know and what I don’t. What I do know is how to make government function,” he continues. “There are many jobs I can’t perform, but I’m prepared to be your mayor from day one.”
The Cuomo campaign promoted the quirky advertisement in a press release, branding it “one of the first positive and most visible applications of AI in paid political advertisement.”
The video, however, did not resonate well on social media, as users criticized it, labeling it as “slop” while calling out Cuomo for opting not to film the ad live.
“This is a bad ad for Cuomo and somehow an even worse advertisement for AI?” quipped political strategist Amanda Litman from the progressive organization “Run for Something” in a post on X.
“This Cuomo ad exemplifies everything I detest about AI. Just think: if Cuomo had filmed himself on a real set or even against a green screen doing these jobs, it could have been humorous! Charming, even! Instead, it’s just a mess, disheartening, and sad,” remarked YouTuber Nick Poulimenakos.
Cuomo’s competitors in the upcoming November mayoral race also chimed in, with frontrunner Zohran Mamdani drawing comparisons between the ad and Cuomo’s housing proposal, which faced criticism for being partially constructed by ChatGPT.
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“In a city overflowing with creative talent and production teams searching for work, Andrew Cuomo produced a TV advertisement the same way he drafted his housing policy: by using AI,” the socialist candidate remarked on X.
“Then again, perhaps a virtual Cuomo is preferable to the real one?” he added humorously.
GOP contender Curtis Sliwa also took aim at the advertisement during an unrelated press event outside Cuomo’s Manhattan residence on Thursday.
“I’m looking at the squeegee and it’s not even a squeegee!” Sliwa exclaimed while referencing a scene where AI Cuomo is seen washing windows on the scaffolding of a high-rise.
“I think countless viewers saw his AI and chuckled,” Sliwa noted. “That’s likely the reason for the clicks, as people are preoccupied with how utterly absurd it looks.
“He’s never going to be trendy or popular.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, asserted that the video was intended as a “humorous effort” to engage with the audience.
Nonetheless, Azzopardi didn’t find the criticisms from Cuomo’s adversaries amusing.
“The ultimate irony is that Curtis Sliwa is a complete buffoon,” Azzopardi stated, “and there’s nothing funny about Zohran Mamdani’s efforts to legalize prostitution. He’s a fool as well.”
