This historic milestone has seen democracy unfold on a global scale: for the first time, 3.7 billion eligible voters across 72 countries have had the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the 2024 elections. Are these concerns not rooted in the fear that deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation could undermine trust in the democratic process? As 2024 draws near, it’s instructive to take stock of democracy’s performance.
According to a recent Pew survey, nearly nine times as many people believed that the 2024 election would have predominantly positive outcomes than those who were uncertain about its effects. While there are genuine concerns and risks associated with using AI in electoral politics, its potential benefits cannot be ignored.
The feared “asterisk” hasn’t come to pass – nor due to the specter of AI. As innovation spreads, candidates are embracing AI solutions across various settings where its implementation can yield meaningful benefits when handled with prudence. As part of a covert marketing strategy, the intricacies of the agreement often remain hidden from the average consumer’s view, leaving them unaware of the fine details.
Connecting with voters
The most significant and far-reaching applications of artificial intelligence are in language translation, with initiatives already underway. Governments from several countries, including indigenous administrations, collaborated with prominent political leaders such as the Indian Prime Minister and the New York City Mayor, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to instantly translate conferences and speeches into multiple languages for the benefit of a vast audience.
While politicians may not be directly engaging with AI technology, their constituents could still be leveraging it to tune in to their voices. Google has expanded its range of free translation tools, offering real-time language assistance to billions of users worldwide through their mobile devices this summer.
Aspiring politicians leveraged artificial intelligence’s conversational prowess to connect with constituents. U.S. Politicians deployed chatbots of themselves during their presidential main campaigns. In a surprise upset, the Democratic Party’s perimeter candidate emerged victorious in the American Samoa primary, largely attributed to their innovative use of artificial intelligence-driven communication tools, including AI-generated emails, texts, audio, and video messages. Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, utilized an AI-generated duplicate of his own voice to deliver speeches from behind bars.
Innovative applications of artificial intelligence were particularly notable in Japan, where an unconventional Tokyo gubernatorial candidate leveraged an AI-powered avatar to engage with voters, ultimately finishing a remarkable fifth among the field of 56 contestants.
Nuts and bolts
Artificial intelligence has been increasingly utilized in political fundraising with great success. Companies such as these market artificial intelligence tools designed to aid in crafting effective fundraising email campaigns. Various AI-powered systems help job seekers navigate the process. Despite challenges in gauging the impact of such instruments, political strategists remain reticent about their effectiveness, yet there is palpable interest in continuing to leverage these technologies for campaign fundraising efforts.
Polling has long been driven by mathematical sophistication, with practitioners continually integrating innovative methodologies to refine their predictions. Techniques differ in their application, ranging from leveraging artificial intelligence to gauge voter sentiment on social media platforms – a method known as “sentiment analysis” – to developing chatbots capable of responding to tens of thousands of inquiries. Whether the AI-driven strategies yield more accurate polls and valuable campaign insights remains uncertain, despite being driven by the pressing issue of effectively engaging real people in survey research.
On the political organizing front, AI assistants are being leveraged for a range of functions, including data analysis, volunteer coordination, and serving to amplify grassroots movements while also driving get-out-the-vote efforts. In Argentina in 2023, each of the main presidential candidates develops a comprehensive marketing campaign featuring eye-catching posters, engaging movies, and diverse promotional materials.
By 2024, various forms of election-related technology had likely become widespread globally. In the United States, a Georgia politician leverages online platforms by publishing blog entries, sharing campaign visuals through social media, and producing engaging podcasts. Commonplace productivity software programs, such as those from Adobe, Microsoft, and Google, increasingly integrate AI features that are both inevitable and potentially highly beneficial for campaign success. AI-powered tools are designed to support professionals in their pursuit of career advancement and professional growth.
Fakes and counterfakes
Despite initial fears of catastrophe, AI-generated misinformation and propaganda ultimately had a less severe impact than anticipated. In the days leading up to the 2023 Slovakian election, concerns about potential election manipulation sparked widespread discussion and went viral. Throughout 2024, this type of phenomenon repeatedly emerged, yet the extent to which it exerted a tangible influence remains uncertain.
Within the U.S. In the wake of a contentious presidential election, controversy surrounded a robocall advising New Hampshire voters not to participate in the Democratic primary. Despite generating significant press attention, this attempt to sway the electorate ultimately had little tangible impact on the outcome of the vote. While AI-generated images from hurricane-stricken regions had limited resonance, so too did a barrage of misleading information or exaggerated claims regarding candidates’ actions, seemingly crafted to exploit their political vulnerabilities?
Artificial intelligence also played a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of the data landscape. OpenAI employed its advanced AI models to sow discord before the 2020 US presidential election. presidential election. While anyone can currently leverage AI tools to create realistic fake audio, images, and text, the technology’s staying power is undeniable; simultaneously, tech platforms employ AI to proactively detect and remove hate speech and extremist content. While this optimistic use case enables content moderation to become more efficient and saves individuals from evaluating the most egregious offenses, there remains scope for it to evolve into a more effective, transparent, and fair system.
AI-powered fashion models have the potential to scale more effectively across multiple languages and global regions, outpacing traditional human moderator networks. While initial implementations on platforms like Meta have shown that significant computational loads are required to ensure honesty and efficiency in these programmes?
The impact of corporate AI developers’ restrictions on using their tools for political purposes proved negligible in 2024. Despite OpenAI’s focus on innovative applications like generating photographs of political candidates through AI-powered tools, the company’s commitment to responsible use and strict enforcement remains widespread.
The genie is unfastened
All tendencies, whether beneficial or detrimental, tend to progress. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated and successful, it is likely to infiltrate every aspect of politics. Regardless of whether the AI’s performance is extraordinary or mediocre, its efficacy will inevitably be affected by various factors, including potential errors and the stability of its deployment, which can have either positive or negative consequences. The power of a single catalyst: with just one influential encounter, a person’s perspective on the benefits of automation can shift dramatically.
, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Coverage, and , Affiliate, Berkman Klein Heart for Web & Society,
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