Digital tools allow campaigns to focus ads on specific audiences and adjust messages for different groups, Klink said. He said campaigns can create and distribute hundreds of variations, with targeting that can reach individual households.

That approach marks a shift from campaigns’ longtime reliance on mailers, television commercials, phone calls and text messages. Klink said digital advertising has grown rapidly in recent years as more people watch and browse on phones, tablets and computers rather than traditional television sets.

Television ads still have a role, he said. Commercials during newscasts, for example, can reach viewers who are following current events. Klink said campaigns combine different advertising methods to make the most of their budgets and reach voters quickly.

Artificial intelligence has been used in campaign work for roughly four to five years, Klink said, including to help develop ads, refine messaging and target audiences. He likened its potential impact to the internet’s transformation of campaign operations, and said future campaigns will adapt as the technology and targeting tools change.

The shift means voters may encounter different political messages depending on where they get information and which audiences campaigns believe they belong to. Klink did not provide figures on how much campaigns are spending on AI or digital advertising.