Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reposted an AI-generated campaign video to his X account on Tuesday, a day before a scheduled debate with Mayor Karen Bass and council member Nithya Raman. The 60-second ad, created by film-maker Charlie Curran and directed by Gabriel Mann, had received 3.6 million views as of Wednesday.

The video shows flames engulfing the Hollywood sign and a socialist militia patrolling the streets, with imagery of Los Angeles resembling Todd Phillips' version of Gotham City and the home fronts of Bass and Raman. It depicts Governor Gavin Newsom, Bass, and former Vice-President Kamala Harris as royal bourgeois who care little for their subjects' plights, and renders Pratt as a vigilante superhero figure. It is unclear whether Curran is connected to Pratt's campaign.

"It cost zero dollars. It took like 15 minutes minus drive time," Pratt said of the ad. Pratt, who appeared as a cast member on a reality television series, is running as an independent candidate for Los Angeles mayor and has outpaced both Bass and Raman in fundraising since January. The video did not include information about how he would address the city's problems.

For weeks, Pratt has criticized Bass and Raman on wildfire response, homelessness, and public safety. On April 19, Pratt said, "It's easy for Karen Basura and Nithya Raman to claim 'crime is down' when they simply stop enforcing it. 60K open air drug zombies commit multiple felonies every single day."

Bass and Raman did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the AI video. Former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush commented on the ad, saying, "Maybe the best political ad of the year."

Steve Caplan, a political advertising expert and professor at the University of Southern California, said AI-generated campaign ads could become common because they are cheap and fast to produce. "They're cheap, fast and consultants hate spending money on production. You can crank out rapid response in hours," Caplan said.

He said the ad's reach might not translate into votes. "The shock value and attention-grabbing nature of the Pratt AI video may not translate to voter turnout," he said, adding that "Workers in Hollywood, which has seen an exodus of production, may bristle at the promotion of AI." Caplan also said, "In an election where Democrats will turn out, it's a pretty narrow base to work from." He added: "The notion that there are enough voters who would align with this message to win in an election like LA – I'm highly skeptical of that."

California's primary election is set for June 2 using a Top Two system. Pratt is running as an independent in the race against Bass and Raman.