(Image from Colom's AI-generated video)
- The Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate has called for pausing data center construction even as he uses AI to attack his Republican opponent. Hyde-Smith’s campaign manager said Tuesday, “Desperate candidates deploy desperate tactics.”
Scott Colom began his campaign for U.S. Senate last year by making a fake phone call to U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith to “wish her a good night.” A woman’s voice was heard answering the phone, to which Colom said, “I can’t believe she answered,” referring to it being Hyde-Smith.
Colom then goes on to unload a litany of campaign talking points over the call, until he closed with, “Bless your heart, OK?”
READ MORE: Colom campaign starts race with fake call to Hyde-Smith
That was day one of the Democrat’s campaign against the incumbent Republican.
Now, even as he attempts to capitalize on anti-data center sentiment, Colom is again producing fake content, this time using the very artificial intelligence technology those data centers support to attack Hyde-Smith with a month left until the November General Election.
READ MORE: As Colom tries to capitalize on anti-data center sentiment, Entergy Mississippi says customers are benefitting from data centers, not subsidizing them
An AI generated video shared by Colom on his social media platforms shows images of a woman generated to look like Hyde-Smith exiting what is assumed to be the U.S. Capitol. Awaiting her outside is a slew of press shouting questions Colom’s campaign has used in their messaging, such as “Why don’t you do a town hall?” The woman is then shown running away before getting into a car.
Earlier this week, Colom shared a video where he claims “the average Entergy household in Mississippi is paying about $10.60 more every month because of the data center bailout, about $127 a year.” He has called for a pause on data center construction while also highlighting a pro-AI data center super PAC ad buy backing Hyde-Smith.
Entergy Mississippi has since disputed Colom’s claim, saying their customers are benefitting from data centers, not subsidizing them.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign manager Jake Monssen said Tuesday, “Desperate candidates deploy desperate tactics.”
“Colom’s unserious campaign is just a mashup of lies and deception, and this AI video is no different. Rest assured, this’ll all be over on November 3 when Mississippians send him back into obscurity,” Monssen said. “I do wonder, though: Which data center here in Mississippi did he use to make it?”
