Los Angeles Magazine is being trolled online for its AI-generated cover, depicting mayoral candidates Councilwoman Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt.
“The cover is fake. The crisis is real,” Los Angeles Magazine wrote in an X post unveiling its AI-generated special election issue cover.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is noticeably absent from the cover.
Users online were quick to comment that the animations of the candidates looked like distortions. One user even noted that it was “not even remotely” what Raman looked like, while another said Pratt did not look the same either — “missing the 10+ years and coke bloat,” they wrote.
“Why use AI? real pictures of these people exist,” People’s City Council of Los Angeles replied to the tweet. “A graphic designer could’ve done this cover relatively quickly. this type of s–t is why people don’t f–k with LA mag.”
“So stupid I’m in shock,” another user wrote.
The cover is fake. The crisis is real. Our June Special Election Issue uses AI to capture a very real moment in Los Angeles … a city where politics, celebrity, spectacle, and civic frustration are all colliding at once. Whether you love it, hate it, question it, or can’t stop… pic.twitter.com/S10A6QO7ee
— Los Angeles Magazine (@LAmag) May 21, 2026
The magazine explained in its initial post that the cover uses AI to capture a “very real moment in Los Angeles…where politics, celebrity, spectacle and civic frustration are all colliding at once.”
“Whether you love it, hate it, question it or can’t stop looking at it… this is the L.A. we’re living in,” the magazine’s initial tweet read.
The cover story’s headline read, “Welcome to Los Angeles’ Weirdest Mayor’s Race Ever,” before outlining the state of the mayoral race two weeks before the primary election.
One user specifically blamed the magazine’s publisher Christopher Gialanella for the “AI slop.”
The L.A. mayoral race has also seen AI use, specifically, in former reality star Pratt’s campaign. “The Hills” star has reposted several of his supporters’ AI-generated ads that have garnered traction throughout his campaign.
One of his most viral campaign ads was created by AI filmmaker Charles Curran. The video showed Gov. Gavin Newsom eating cake, former Vice President Kamala Harris chugging a bottle of liquor and Mayor Karen Bass wearing Joker-inspired makeup.
Be the Hero LA needs. Vote Spencer Pratt. pic.twitter.com/VTskAwynpB
— Charles Curran (@charliebcurran) May 20, 2026
Since then, Pratt has reposted several of Curran’s AI videos in support of the reality star and registered Republican. His most recent ad continued the theme of Pratt as a superhero, this time as Thanos, speeding through L.A. in his batmobile attempting to save a city on fire.
The post Los Angeles Magazine Shredded for Its AI-Created Mayors Race Cover: ‘So Stupid I’m in Shock’ appeared first on TheWrap.
