In the evolving landscape of democracy, elections have long stood as the cornerstone of citizen participation and political representation. But with the rise of data-driven campaigning powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the electoral process is rapidly being revolutionized in unprecedented and unpredictable ways.
While AI represents clear progress in campaign outreach, messaging, and fundraising, all of which benefit the electoral process, it also threatens the foundational principles of democratic systems by enabling the widespread dissemination of disinformation.
This new technology will affect over 60 elections worldwide in 2024. This article examines the enormous impact of these AI transformations on campaigns and elections and what can be done about it.
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an advanced computer technology that uses smart, human-like cognitive abilities to analyze enormous amounts of data and perform tasks such as making predictions, recommendations, and problem-solving.
Many AI applications have become part of our daily lives, including virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, personalized content suggestions on Spotify and Netflix, Face ID on smartphones, and online search engines like Google and Amazon.
While AI has been around for decades, its potential and influence increased significantly when ChatGPT, a powerful language processing technology that generates human-like text responses to user prompts, was introduced in November 2022. ChatGPT has been fine-tuned to engage in dialogue and simulate conversations so effectively that it is now widely used in chatbots.
Its emergence has vastly expanded the possibilities and accessibility of generative AI to millions of users worldwide through apps and consumer software. It has quickly become the fastest-growing consumer application in history.
Benefits and dangers of AI
Data-driven campaigning has greatly benefited communications and messaging in elections. Political parties and candidates can leverage AI-powered tools, including ChatGPT, to identify key issues and understand voter sentiment. This results in improved personalized voter outreach, reduced administrative costs, potentially higher voter turnout, and a better-informed electorate.
Its powerful ability to supercharge disinformation by spreading deceptive and misleading content on a large scale with the intent to harm poses a significant threat. One imminent danger is the newly created phenomenon of deep fake images and videos. These highly realistic digital manipulations, created by AI tools, can be produced by anyone using readily available technology in just a matter of minutes and used to promote election disinformation.
Deep fakes are typically generated to replicate the appearance and voice of specific individuals without their consent. They are often so convincing that they can be difficult to distinguish from real photos or videos. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned about the growing threat, saying generative AI makes it easy for “foreign adversaries to engage in malign influence.”
Another risk is the ability to manipulate election outcomes on a much larger scale by discrediting candidates or misleading voters through targeted, biased campaign messaging.
One tactic involves producing multiple deep fakes loaded with factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations of information; another is inundating Facebook and online forums with fake information generated easily by AI tools from accounts posing as real users. This can significantly influence voter opinions and decisions and potentially alter election results.
Recognizing fake information
Often, it’s hard to know if something is real or not. If something seems off, try to exercise some caution—things aren’t always as they appear. Ask some questions first before drawing any conclusions. It’s especially important to avoid sharing information that might be false and intentionally malicious.
The National Conference on Citizenship has developed a useful tool designed to help detect fakes. It’s referred to as SIFT: Stop, Investigate the claim, Find better sources, and Trace the claim to its original source. While it’s not foolproof, examining the content and identifying its original source can often provide insight into its intent and help determine its trustworthiness.
Reliable fact-checking
So, there’s some good news: Taking personal responsibility for critically evaluating the information can be effective. Anyone can be the target of disinformation, so it’s important to be aware, ask questions, and be informed as best as possible.
In 2023, a new Minnesota State Law was enacted that bans election-related deep fakes. It makes it a crime to share a deep fake within 90 days of an election if the person knows, or should have known, it was a deep fake and acts with the intent to harm a candidate’s reputation or influence the election result.
The office of the MN Secretary of State is training and supporting election administrators through in-person training and conferences to ensure they are aware of new technologies and legal changes. MN Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office also collaborates with tech partners like Open AI, Microsoft, Meta, Snap, and Google through the National Association of Secretaries of State. They share resources and get feedback on using their platforms to direct people to trusted sources.
Public messaging is another critical component of their strategy. Secretary Simon and their office members frequently engage with news media, voter outreach groups, and the public to educate them about AI and its implications. The MN Secretary of State’s website is continually updated and serves as a resource for Minnesotans to understand how the voting system works and how to be smart media consumers.
This issue extends beyond the state level and will require federal regulations to be effective. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Susan Collins, highlighted here, support bipartisan measures to address AI’s impact on elections at the national level.
Secretary Simon recently testified in the U.S. Senate Committee hearing on AI and elections. Simon’s testimony called for a multilevel approach to the challenges of emerging AI technologies, advocating for the federal government and the private sector to work alongside state governments to prevent the creation and amplification of dangerous election disinformation.
For reliable election information, visit trusted sources like MNvotes.gov/elections-voting, Vote411.org, and Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services. This is the third article in the League of Women Voters Minneapolis 2024 Democracy Series. All articles are available at lwvmpls.org/for-voters.