Human artificial intelligence. Sounds like an oxymoron. But when decision-making is based on artificial intelligence, is AI making the decisions? Or at the very least, influencing ideas that often seem nonsensical? People regularly use AI to research and find information. But what happens when they become reliant on sycophantic systems that are too often wrong? What about when it’s used to strategize or make decisions that kill people based on social media data meant to gauge popularity for specific actions or polarizing ideas?
What if it’s wrong?
Many arguments can, and probably should, be made to caution against relying on AI across various sectors. But when it’s used as the Trump administration seems to be doing, it can become dangerous for millions of people at a time. In addition to broadly and expeditiously employing AI in military operations, which has for years proven fatal for countless innocent civilians, the White House is seemingly also employing real-time social media AI data in its decision-making.
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Enter Brad Parscale, the man who employed members of Cambridge Analytica in 2016, the data analytics firm that harvested social media user data to manipulate conversations around Trump during his then-campaign for president. Cambridge Analytica was bankrolled by Robert Mercer, the wealthy and influential GOP donor behind racially and socially divisive media outlets like Breitbart. Parscale later jumped in to lead Trump’s 2020 campaign, but left after an incident with police that led to his involuntary hospitalization. Now, after helping Trump in 2024, he’s operating Campaign Nucleus, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that automates nearly all of a prospective Republican’s political campaign.
“Whether it’s adapting to shifts in public opinion or preemptively countering attacks, our data-driven approach ensures you stay ahead, shaping the narrative to resonate and win in today’s fast-paced political arena,” reads the Campaign Nucleus website.
Parscale’s latest venture mimics much of what Cambridge Analytica did, with a hyperfocus on using AI. However, it goes much deeper; offering communications services, voter outreach, newsletters, and even an AI-assisted website builder that “streamlines web development for news and distribution networks.” The White House website under the current Trump administration has all the hallmarks of a Campaign Nucleus-generated website. From animated banners across the middle of your screen to biased social media and news feeds, these features can be found on many Campaign Nucleus sites.
While the White House doesn’t explicitly use Parscale’s services for its website, the team behind its build had previously worked with Parscale using many of the same systems and strategies that led to Trump’s election in 2016 and again in 2024. Trump’s 2024 campaign website displayed “Powered by Nucleus” and linked to Parscale’s new SaaS platform.
Parscale’s services are extensive, even offering access to Influencable, an influencer network that alleges to have 2.5 billion aggregated followers. The network was behind the viral “Am I a Racist?” video clips with Matt Walsh from The Daily Caller (founded by Tucker Carlson). The network has also participated in myriad ad campaigns, creating similar short-form content to promote various conservative candidates and films. Influencable, which was used to rally support for embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2023, is owned by Camron and Liam Rafizadeh, brothers who also co-founded Today Is America, an “anti-woke” media group.
What Trump and Paxton’s cases show us is that the platform’s ability to create “news” in seconds and amplify it employing paid “anti-woke” influencers who use ragebait marketing tactics is foundational to Campaign Nucleus’s platform. They show us how it has been used to generate and spread disinformation disguised as legitimate journalism through its “uncancelable” strategy, using toned-down language (dog whistles) to bypass content moderation filters on social media platforms.
Campaign Nucleus also boasts the “most engaged political press list” of 30,000 reporters through its NucleusWire service. The service distributes press releases and provides a platform to promote unified Republican messaging. Many of these strategies aren’t new and are used by both mainstream political parties. However, much like during Trump’s 2024 campaign, mimicking Parscale’s use of AI to monitor social media trends and package those sentiments by political affiliation appears to be a driving factor in Trump’s erratic decision-making.
When considering the Christian nationalist nature of Republican politics today, it should be noted that Parscale is financially backed by Texas billionaire Tim Dunn, who, along with fellow oil tycoons Farris and Dan Wilks, pushed Texas to the far right with a Christian dominionist agenda. It’s also worth noting that Parscale is the Chief Strategy Officer at Salem Media Group, a multimedia company claiming to be “America’s leading media company serving the nation’s Christian and conservative communities.” The company focuses on content at the intersection of Christian evangelicalism and Republican politics.
As we venture into oblivion, allow me to be the first to congratulate the nation on the world’s first artificial presidency. One that’s making critical decisions based on social media feelings that are mostly driven by bots and people in foreign countries. At the rate Trump is going, he may just kill us all, thanks in large part to sycophants, both real and artificial.
Arturo is an independent freelance journalist. He has written hundreds of articles on policing, immigration, race, and Latin America. His work has been featured in outlets such as Unicorn Riot, Latino Rebels, Capitol Press, Momentum, and abroad. He is the Editor-in-Chief at the Antagonist Magazine and is a co-leader of the Writers and Editors of Color.
I have seen the effects of a lack of critical thinking in our country. This article opens my eyes to one cause of this. It is far more difficult to live with paradox and try to solve problems that are complex. AI allows and accommodates this laziness and lack of accountability. It is rather terrifying to feel like I am living inside a video game run by someone who knows nothing about human life.
I believe that we still have the opportunity to educate people to think beyond the narrow parameters that are currently the status quo. There is hope.