Becerra film plan flagged as AI-written as Hollywood becomes election battleground
A Hollywood rescue plan meant to win over film workers has been assessed as written by artificial intelligence.
The 1,600-word film policy on Xavier Becerra's campaign website was rated 100% AI-generated by Pangram, a widely used AI detector, according to Variety. Becerra is running for governor of California.
His spokesman Jonathan Underland denied the claim. AI assessors are notoriously inaccurate, he said. AI was not used to brainstorm or develop the platform.
That denial matters because the platform itself calls for honesty about AI. It endorses a state mandate for AI disclosure by productions, meaning shows and films would have to declare when the technology is used.
The plan opens with a guiding principle titled "California Is the Home of Film and TV and We Intend to Keep It That Way." That language was first reported in May, according to Deadline. The campaign site also says performers should have enforceable rights over their own likenesses.
The money is the sharpest fight. California's film and TV production incentive, meaning tax credits that refund part of what productions spend in the state, is currently capped at $750 million per year.
Rival candidate Steve Hilton has vowed to eliminate that cap and include above-the-line costs, meaning salaries for actors, directors and producers. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he will sponsor a bill to eliminate the cap entirely.
Both campaigns are now trading blows over AI. Becerra's campaign said it does not use AI in its videos. It has criticised Hilton over "AI slop."
Pangram also flagged Hilton's own film policy as AI-written. Neither campaign has released production records for the texts.
The row extends beyond film. CNN aired a 1 October 2026 video segment in which Hilton pressed Becerra on AI regulation and legislation. Neither Becerra nor Hilton committed to AI safety guidelines laid out by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2026, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Becerra's separate AI priorities page states that AI should broaden opportunity, not concentrate it. It says his administration will pursue policies that help businesses grow and empower workers.
What makes this stand out for viewers is the jobs link. A tax-credit cap decides which series shoot in Los Angeles and which leave. A likeness rule decides whether an actor's face can be reused. Voters will now weigh who wrote the promise as well as what it promises.
