A Texas Republican county judge is facing backlash over an AI-generated campaign video depicting Black supporters endorsing him and thanking him for helping them find jobs, obtain food and pay their bills. Daniel Wong, the interim Fort Bend County judge seeking a full four-year term in the November 3 election, shared the video on his campaign's Facebook page. Wong is seeking election to a full term as Fort Bend County judge, an influential local government position in the Houston metropolitan area.
He was appointed to the interim role in April after former county judge K.P. George was suspended following a felony money-laundering conviction, according to local reporting. The controversy comes as AI-generated imagery and video become increasingly prominent in political campaigning, raising questions about the authenticity of endorsements and the potential for voters to be misled by false media.
Bobby Eberle, the communications director for the Daniel Wong campaign, told Newsweek: "Basically, we received a video from a supporter who happens to be a black Democrat. "The campaign did not participate in the planning, production, or any creative aspect of the video. It was simply sent to us.
Our social media person posted it online, and then when all the controversy erupted, the campaign took it down." The video depicted Black people expressing support for Wong and crediting him with helping them meet basic needs, including obtaining food, securing employment and keeping their electricity on. The video was later removed from the campaign's social media accounts following criticism over its authenticity and the use of AI-generated imagery. Wong's campaign has denied producing the video, claiming it was created by a Democratic supporter before being shared with the campaign.
However, the controversy has raised questions about how the video was produced and whether the people depicted consented to its use. The campaign says the video's creator told it that consent had been obtained, but Newsweek has not independently verified that claim. "(He helped me) at my worst time," said one person in the video, wearing a misspelled "Daniel Wong" hat and standing in front of a roadside marquee covered in illegible letters.
"He gave me a job," said another. "He bought me food," one more added. Viewers quickly began questioning the video's authenticity after noticing apparent visual distortions and similarities between the speakers' voices.
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