50% OFF ANNUAL PLANS
CYBER MONDAY
NOW THROUGH DEC 5th
50% OFF ANNUAL PLANS
CYBER MONDAY
NOW THROUGH DEC 5th
Ahmar Naseer
11/19/2024
It looks like 2024 is not just any election year: it’s the election year of the decade! That’s because there are over 100 countries holding elections, about 4 billion people voting, and over 100,000 polling booths in the USA alone.
While election campaigns are at their peak, AI is being widely and wisely used by candidates to increase their chances of winning.
How can AI influence the voter? What are the pros and cons of using technology during elections? If you’re interested to find out, read on!
The year 2024 will have a lasting impact on world politics. Over 100 countries will vote for their new leadership. They include the USA, several EU countries, Taiwan, Korea, and many others.
Technology has been used during the electoral process before. E-voting is one such example. EVM machines make voting secure, efficient, and time-saving. But with advancements in generative AI, the use of technology for both good and bad will increase manifold.
Policymakers need to strike a balance between the good and the harmful effects of AI on elections and campaigns.
By using generative AI during campaigning, politicians can better engage their voters and increase their vote bank. AI can create a more targeted campaign by using data about the voters’ preferences, likes, and dislikes. This leads to better communication between candidates and their voters.
It can also help voters by providing them with essential information like their assigned polling station, and voting method.
Preparing to run for office requires a lot of time and effort to accurately collect, store, and analyze extensive electoral data. Electoral officials then study the data to identify and influence people’s opinions and trends.
Technology, especially AI, makes handling these large datasets much easier, quicker, and more accurate.
Not only can automated systems make data handling easier, but they can also make it more secure. Using modern cyber security methods, AI can stop cyber threats, identify faults or fraud, and ensure that the electoral process and results remain fair.
In the age of lightning-quick communication, having access to data at your fingertips, and remaining up-to-date, there is a very real risk of spreading fake news.
Before AI, misinformation was spread by trolls, who posted fake news online by hand. Therefore, it was a slow process. Today, with the widespread use of AI, misinformation is spreading at the speed of light!
AI uses large language models to make and spread false news. This, combined with deepfake video and audio, can result in videos and audio of people saying negative things. They can fool even the wisest people and have a negative effect on electoral campaigns.
Misinformation can:
It is becoming increasingly difficult to detect and stop the spread of false information. Automated language systems are becoming more advanced and powerful, creating new and misleading content before it can be stopped.
So, what can an individual do to avoid reading and spreading false news? The first step involves identifying misinformation:
Whenever you come across a new piece of information or shocking news, always make sure to verify if it is correct or not.
It is essential to have access to an advanced AI detector like our latest version of the isgen AI detector. Our tool will let you know exactly how much of the news you’re reading is AI-generated.
You can also compare the news against a genuine and verified
We all use social media day in and day out. It is a form of communication that never stops. There is always a new piece of information, some new gossip, or negative propaganda floating around on social media platforms.
Since every celebrity, leader, politician, and ordinary citizen has an account on all social media platforms, it has become the number one source of information for most people. This is also why it is very easy for anyone to manipulate people by spreading misinformation on it.
Deepfake videos and audio can be easily made viral on any or all social media platforms. Therefore it is the responsibility of every user to either avoid believing and spreading information from SM platforms or carefully verify any news before sharing it.
When you have an online presence, you will definitely come across some form of fake news or misinformation. It could be in the form of a deepfake audio, video, AI-generated, enhanced images, or written content. As a responsible citizen, it is your duty to avoid and report such content.
You can report fake news at support.google.com. You can also do a little research online and report any misinformation directly to your country’s information ministry website. Several pathways can be taken to report false news, and you will be guided on the website.
You can also check the news against authentic fact-checking websites like politifact.com, and snopes.com.
While reporting false news is a great step, you also need to be aware of journalists, news channels, social media channels, and news websites that spread authentic and verified news. Several genuine websites are renowned for their honesty, transparency, and investigative journalism.
As mentioned above, 2024 will witness elections in over 60 countries around the world. In most of these countries, technology is widely used throughout the electoral process. This ensures accuracy, security, and time savings.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the leading countries that employ AI during elections and how it can influence voters.
The whole world is watching the impending November elections in the USA. AI has become a massive part of these elections. In fact, studies show that 39% of Americans believe that AI will be used only to spread fake news and harm the presidential campaign. Only 5% of Americans think it can be used positively.
Many believe that AI has been used to create deepfakes and change voters' opinions or influence them negatively. Several deepfake videos have surfaced of dead politicians or leaders persuading people not to vote.
The US government is trying to combat the growth of AI in politics. Nineteen states have already passed laws banning the use of AI for campaigning. Several chatbots, such as Gemini, do not answer queries related to politics or elections.
In early April of this year, South Korea held its 22nd general elections. Voter turnout was 67%, the highest the country has seen in 32 years.
AI was a genuine concern for several politicians and candidates in these elections.
The South Korean government also banned the use of deepfakes for political campaigns. Even so, an AI-generated video surfaced of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol endorsing the opposition party’s candidate. The video led to a debate about whether it violated the Public Official Election Act or not.
Korea has also passed a law that any AI-generated content created for use during campaigns must be clearly identified and labeled.
These steps taken by the Korean government to ensure the fair use of AI during elections set a good example for other countries to follow.
Several EU countries held general elections this year, too. England and France are just two of them.
AIForensics, is a European non-profit organization that investigates high-scale technology platforms and holds them accountable for any misleading algorithms. AI Forensics reported that they uncovered 51 AI-generated images used by French political parties during their campaigns. The report found that most of the AI-generated content was about anti-immigration laws, a failing judicial system, a lack of safety, and a lack of freedom.
But, according to a study by Sam Stockwell, a researcher at the Alan Turing Institute, both the UK’s and France’s elections were not impacted by any AI-generated content or deepfakes. So, it’s safe to say the EU public was not impressed by AI!
In total, there were 16 viral deepfake cases during the UK’s elections and 11 deepfake viral cases during France’s elections.
Deepfake tools are becoming more advanced and accessible. AI-generated content will only increase in the future, so we provide you with a tool to counter that at Isgen! Our top-of-the-line AI detectors can break down AI content sentence by sentence, giving you an in-depth analysis.
Furthermore, our deepfake detection tools are also available on our website. You can use them to differentiate between AI-generated audio and video and promote quality journalism.
Policymakers face a novel challenge. They must come up with preventive measures to stop AI from taking over the polls. But these policies must not stop free speech or new ideas for political campaigns.
