Thrive LA PAC's AI voice line impersonating LA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman drew ethics complaints
Thrive LA PAC, a super PAC backing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, placed signs around Los Angeles directing voters to a phone number advertised as "Nithya Raman Realty." Callers heard an AI-generated voice speaking in the first person as mayoral candidate Nithya Raman and answering questions. The Raman campaign says it filed complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. The campaign alleges the line breaks California laws on deceptive election media, AI political advertising disclosure and campaign funding disclosure. Thrive LA's executive director defended the line as political satire. The complaints are allegations and do not establish that the law was broken.
What the AI did
Thrive LA PAC ran a phone line where an AI-generated voice spoke in the first person as Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman and answered callers' questions. It has not been reported which AI tool was used.
First reported October 26, 2026 · Added to the register November 3, 2026 · 1 source
- Deployer
- Thrive LA PAC
- Affected
- Nithya Raman
- Country
- United States (California)
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 26, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If you use AI-generated voices or likenesses of real people in political or marketing content. Political groups that use AI-generated voices of real candidates can face complaints under election and disclosure laws. The Raman campaign alleged such violations against Thrive LA PAC, though the complaints do not establish that any law was broken.
What to check
- Disclose clearly that any AI-generated voice or likeness of a real person is AI-generated.
- State who paid for political or marketing content that uses an AI-generated voice.
- Check election-period restrictions before launching AI voice content about candidates.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Every fact and its source (5)
- Deployer's responseDefended as political satire“"AI was a tool to express our First Amendment right for political satire," Dahan said.”[1]
- Law citedCalifornia Elections Code Section 20012“The complaint cites California Elections Code Section 20012”[1]
- Status of allegationsComplaints are allegations only“The complaints represent allegations by the Raman campaign; they do not establish that Thrive LA violated the law.”[1]
- Complaints filedEthics complaints to California FPPC and LA City Ethics Commission“The Raman campaign says it filed complaints Monday with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission”[1]
- How the line was promotedSigns pointing to a 'Nithya Raman Realty' phone number“Thrive LA has placed signs around Los Angeles directing voters to call a phone number advertised as belonging to "Nithya Raman Realty."”[1]
Sources
- Fake AI voice posing as Nithya Raman draws ethics complaints; Rick Caruso backs Karen Bass in LA mayoral racefoxla.com · October 27, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (2/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Alleged, meaning one party's claim.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
