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Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics
Miguel Paiva

Secret AI Political Army: How Fake YouTube 'Ghost Creators' Are Paid $26 to Attack Democrats

Semafor Gavin Newsom Zohran Mamdani TikTok
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - AUGUST 14: A guest displays a beaded YouTube logo on August 14, 2026 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Credit: Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images for Indigenous House)

Key Takeaways

  • At least a dozen YouTube channels paired AI-assisted scripts with real, paid actors to slip past YouTube's synthetic-media labels, according to an investigation by Semafor and research firm Riddance AI.
  • The channels drew a combined 45 million YouTube views and topped 90,000 comments, plus millions more plays on TikTok, mostly by attacking Democratic figures including Zohran Mamdani, Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
  • Two of the on-camera hosts, Kareem Maize and Frank George, confirmed they're paid to appear but say they don't always know who's ultimately funding the videos.
  • The operation traces back to Caleb Chan and his company, Virelox, which took its website offline within days of being contacted by reporters.
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