This December marks one year since we began shaping our ambitious ideas and initiating the development of BattlegroundAI. The 2024 election cycle marked a transformative and experimental period for AI innovation, so we want to share some of the details and inspiring moments from our journey as we work to be at the forefront of this evolution. This includes impactful case studies, notable outcomes, and our predictions for 2025 and beyond.

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Setting The Stage

The 2024 election shattered ad spending records, with over $10.5 billion poured into broadcast, cable, digital, and CTV platforms—a staggering 13% increase from 2020. Much of this investment was concentrated in a handful of swing states, where voters were inundated by both parties.

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At the same time, AI’s role in the election sparked widespread skepticism and unease. Concerns about misuse and the spread of disinformation loomed large, casting a shadow over its wider adoption. A Pew Research study revealed that nearly 40% of voters viewed AI’s involvement in elections negatively, underscoring the urgent need for responsible practices and greater transparency.

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The Creation of BattlegroundAI

Amid the 2024 election cycle, we set out to build BattlegroundAI to address two major recurring challenges we’ve encountered in over a decade in the industry, while also tackling the critical concerns and risks associated with new technology:

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1. Scaling systems and processes to meet growing demand. Global demand for digital advertising and content creation is growing at approximately 7% per year, outpacing the tools, infrastructure, and personnel available to manage it. This rapid growth is unsustainable without innovation
2. ‍Democratizing advanced tools for smaller teams and organizations. Effective, data-driven advertising is a critical strategy for organizations of all sizes. However, budget and resource constraints often exclude smaller teams from accessing the necessary infrastructure and tools.

BattlegroundAI addresses these challenges by lowering barriers to entry and serving as a central nervous system for campaign creation. The platform integrates audience insights and platform optimization to develop personalized, impactful messaging while establishing a structured system to ensure accuracy and safe development.

After advancing from prototype to private beta in just weeks, BattlegroundAI launched halfway through the election cycle (about nine months after Biden announced he was running for re-election), and the public beta launched right before the DNCC in Chicago. Since then, it has attracted over 150 users and facilitated the creation of more than 5,000 messages. From streamlining ad creation to enhancing campaign performance, BattlegroundAI is making a measurable impact, addressing both of our core objectives.

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Our initial successes have been driven by the support of incredible industry innovators and early adopters who shared our vision and showcased the potential of AI in real-world applications.

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Case Study 1: The 3-State Advertising Bake-Off

One of our standout successes this year was a multi-state campaign aimed at defeating extremism in local school board races. By leveraging AI for content generation and optimization, the campaign achieved notable cost savings:

• Cost-Per-Impression: Decreased by 9%
• Cost-Per-Click: Decreased by 5%
• Click-Through Rate: AI-enhanced content combined with human creativity (combo) outperformed both human an dAI alone by 3%

This case study highlighted AI’s ability to improve campaign performance while reinforcing the indispensable role of human creativity.

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Case Study 2: Kentucky State Legislative Race

For a state legislative candidate, BattlegroundAI enabled an ambitious ad campaign across Meta, YouTube, and Search—all on a limited budget. The campaign developed 90 ads, saved over 50 hours, and amplified key messages on public education and cost-of-living issues. The result: a cost reduction of over $5,000.

This candidate was the only Democrat in the state running with ads on both platforms. 

This case study illustrates how AI can democratize access to high-quality advertising, empowering smaller campaigns to compete effectively despite limited resources.

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Five Predictions For What’s Next in 2025

As we move into 2025, we are entering an era of historic productivity gains. According to Stanford Professor Eric Brynjolfsson, while it often takes organizations a few years to invest in, research, and implement new technologies, there is an initial lull followed by significant growth.

We are on the brink of this transformative period. Tools like BattlegroundAI will continue to drive efficiency, allowing campaigns to accomplish more with fewer resources. Several key trends are set to shape the future of AI and political advertising:

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1. Increased Demand for Digital Ads: The shift to digital platforms will continue to accelerate, driven by emerging channels including BlueSky, Threads, new video platforms and more.
2. Precision Messaging: Hyper-specific, fine-tuned messaging will be essential. AI will help campaigns respond rapidly to evolving events - improving effectiveness and outcomes. 
3. Upskilling for the Future: The demand for skilled advertisers, marketers, and creatives will rise, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and development.
4. First-Party Data: As privacy regulations tighten, organizations must prioritize building and leveraging their own data sources like polling and opinion research.
5. Local Regulation: State-level policies and as well as platform regulations will increasingly shape AI use in campaign operations and advertising, making both compliance and self-governance essential.

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Looking Ahead: Research and Insights

BattlegroundAI is preparing a comprehensive post-election analysis to come out  early next-year to help better understand the gaps, opportunities and have a clear picture of what worked, so we can help better drive strategy in 2025. It focuses on:

• Localized messaging strategies
• Media mix effectiveness
• Down-ballot advertising spend and tactics  

For examples, 74% of candidates in 14 states did not utilize Meta or Google Ads in 2024, revealing significant untapped potential for hundreds of critical party messengers and leaders to expand their reach.

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The 2024 elections highlighted the transformative power of innovation in overcoming challenges. As we look ahead, BattlegroundAI remains dedicated to leveling the playing field for progressive organizations, empowering them to harness AI safely and effectively to achieve their goals.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey and helped make it all possible. You can sign up and learn more at Battlegroundai.com or send an email: Maya@battlegroundai.com.