France's 2026 municipal elections in March see artificial intelligence emerge as a key tool for candidates, from video creation to speech drafting. Experts highlight its efficiency and low cost, but ethical concerns arise, prompting calls for regulation. This campaign marks the first widespread use of AI in local politics.
Paul Brounais, head of the Lab électoral political communication agency, assists candidates in 60 communes ranging from 250 to 220,000 inhabitants. "Everyone has artificial intelligence in their pocket. Why not use it for campaigning?", he states. This young entrepreneur, also a municipal councilor in Loire-Atlantique, describes this election as "the first AI campaign," accessible to all and widely adopted.
Christophe Bouillon, president of the Association des petites villes de France and diverse left mayor of Barentin in Seine-Maritime, notes a surge of well-crafted documents on social media, particularly in small communes. "Even if you don't know how to write, the AI does it," he observes.
The March 15 and 22 elections provide fertile ground for these AI-augmented campaigns. In Paris, programmatic videos by Sarah Knafo, Reconquête! candidate, drew notice. Antoine Marie, researcher in political science and psychology at Sciences Po Paris, explains: "It's a low-cost, fast technique. Parties, aiming to win elections in a highly competitive context, cannot afford to miss the opportunity."
This tool spans from major cities to modest localities, raising ethical questions that already lead some elected officials to demand regulatory frameworks for its use in politics.
