AI-powered platforms are training bots to sound like political candidates in text messages, holding personalized conversations with thousands of potential voters simultaneously while gathering data on voter concerns to shape future campaign messaging. Aaron Sheeks, CEO of Akillion, said many of his current clients are running for political office, aiming to give campaigns "a trained AI employee that can go back and forth and answer questions on police reform or education or tax changes." Eric Wilson, a Republican strategist and director of the Center for Campaign Innovation, said generative AI "helps campaigns do more with less," noting that in almost all cases the first text is written and sent by a human, with AI stepping in when the recipient engages. Tom Carroll, CEO of Convos, said their platform guides bots to say a sentence, introduce themselves, and ask a question; Convos launched last year, helped with 10 political campaigns, and this year aims to work with over 100 campaigns, having hit roughly half that target. Marty Santalucia, a partner at Vector Political, said bots excel in engaging voters, with about 5-10% of people responding to texts and about 10-20% of those engaging in 10 or more texts. Experts say Republicans have been adapting to AI faster than Democrats.