As the 2024 election cycle heats up, concerns over the influence of artificial intelligence in political campaigns are becoming more pronounced. In New Hampshire, voters received alarming phone calls featuring a voice resembling President Biden, urging them not to participate in the primary, only to find out it was a deepfake aimed at raising awareness about the perils of manipulated media.
The voice on the call stated, “We know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It’s important you save your vote for the November election.” The deepfake was commissioned by a Democratic consultant who faced significant repercussions, including a $6 million fine by the FCC and criminal charges.
Despite the dire predictions of a wave of deceptive deepfakes impacting the elections, many experts noted that such scenarios did not fully materialize. Zeve Sanderson from NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics remarked, “It wasn’t quite the year of AI elections like many folks foretold.” Instead, AI’s most common applications were in generating openly shared memes and content used in political discourse.
Hany Farid, a professor who studies manipulated media, expressed concerns about a subtler form of misinformation. He stated, “I don’t think the images were designed to be clearly deceptive, but they were designed to push a narrative, and propaganda works.” This sentiment suggests a growing trend of using AI-generated content to influence voter perceptions rather than outright deception.
Reviving Historical Figures in Politics
In a striking case in Indonesia, the political party Golkar utilized AI to reanimate the image of Suharto, a former dictator, to endorse their candidates. This AI-generated video featured Suharto speaking as if he were still alive, declaring support for the party’s vision. The use of such technology is raising eyebrows and questions regarding its implications on democratic processes.
In India, where the largest democratic exercise took place in the spring, AI-generated memes targeting political figures like opposition leader Rahul Gandhi proliferated. Traders in Jaipur noted that AI memes were widely shared among friends, particularly those that humorously mocked political rivals.
Despite the prevalence of these AI-generated memes, some citizens indicated that their voting decisions remained unaffected by this content. An AI artist in India suggested that the lack of deepfakes in the election may stem from concerns over legal consequences for defamation, which drives creators to produce more innocuous memes instead.
AI in American Politics
Across the United States, political figures have embraced AI-generated content with a mix of enthusiasm and caution. Elon Musk shared an AI-generated ad featuring Vice President Kamala Harris that was misleadingly presented as real, highlighting the potential risks of such technologies in shaping public perception.
Trump supporters, including Trump himself, have also engaged with AI memes, sharing content designed to bolster their candidate’s image while undermining opponents. This trend raises pressing questions about the responsibility of public figures in managing the narratives surrounding their campaigns.
Experts warn that while the impact of AI-generated content may not have decisively changed electoral outcomes, it undoubtedly influenced public opinion. Farid emphasized the need for ongoing scrutiny in understanding how AI is used to manipulate voter perceptions and the complexities it introduces into the democratic process.
As the 2024 election looms closer, the implications of AI in politics continue to evolve, warranting close attention from voters and regulators alike.
