GOP Candidate in Virginia Debates AI Version of His Democratic Opponent

The Republican candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor used artificial intelligence to debate a digital version of his Democratic opponent.

On Tuesday, John Reid (R) posted a video on his campaign YouTube channel titled “The 2025 Virginia Lieutenant Governor “Debate.” The video opened with text explaining Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, Reid’s opponent, had declined multiple offers to hold a debate.

“In lieu of a formal debate,” the text continued, “what you are about to see is the best-possible alternative — whereby John Reid will react/respond to Senator Hashmi’s publicized policy positions, as mined from a variety of available sources, with AI used to replicate Senator Hashmi’s voice. Now, without further ado…”