In the US Election, Will Artificial Intelligence Be the Swing Voter?

Alec Crawford Founder & CEO of Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc.

Top AI News for October 2024:

• U.S. AI Sector as an Intelligence Priority: The Biden-Harris Administration has made AI operations a top-tier intelligence priority, directing U.S. government entities to support AI developers in safeguarding the sector. Read more here.

  
  

• G7 Discusses AI Competition Enforcement: The U.S. DOJ and FTC joined G7 Competition Authorities to discuss AI industry enforcement priorities, signaling increased international cooperation in AI regulation. Read more here.

  
  

• US Government Considers Breaking Up Google's Monopoly: The U.S. government is considering forcing Google to spin off Chrome and Android to diminish its monopoly in online search and AI. This comes after Google lost its case against a €2.42 billion fine levied for anti-competitive practices. Read more here.

  
  

• NVIDIA AI Model Release: NVIDIA introduced a LLAMA3 model, specifically the Llama-3.1-Nemotron-70B-Instruct, designed to enhance the helpfulness of language model-generated responses. This model was fine-tuned to outperform other major models like GPT-4o and is structured to provide improved interactive responses. Read more tech details here and news here.

Feature: In the US Election, Will Artificial Intelligence Be the Swing Voter?

The US Presidential race is tight headed into election day, with most pollsters calling it a tie. Of course, swing state voters will decide the election, but will artificial intelligence (AI) really be the swing voter? AI is changing how campaigns operate in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. But while this powerful technology opens up exciting possibilities, it also brings some serious concerns, especially around deepfakes, privacy, and cybersecurity. In this article, we explore how AI is transforming the US election process and what that means for voters and democracy as a whole.

AI in US Campaign Strategies

The world of campaign strategy has been turned upside down by AI. We will cover some of the uses of AI and some of the surprises in this campaign season.

• Predictive Voter Modeling: Political campaigns are now relying on AI to figure out how voters might behave based on everything from past voting patterns to real-time sentiment. This predictive modeling helps campaigns identify key voter segments, making it easier to focus their efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact.

  
  

• Social Media Sentiment Analysis: In today’s digital age, social media is a powerful tool in elections. AI-powered sentiment analysis allows campaigns to keep their fingers on the pulse of public opinion, tracking how people are reacting to issues, candidates, and events in real time. Of course, shutting down Russian bots is also important.

  
  

• Content Creation with Generative AI: AI isn’t just about data analysis; it’s also about creativity. Tools like ChatGPT allow campaigns to generate everything from social media posts to engaging video snippets quickly. Remember the meme of Trump as a Pittsburgh Steeler’s player? Fake, but memorable. Campaigns can respond to current events and shifts in public opinion almost instantly.

  
  

• Targeted Voter Outreach: By identifying issues that resonate with different communities, AI helps campaigns tailor their messages to reflect local concerns. This targeted outreach aims to connect with voters on a personal level, particularly younger or historically disengaged demographics who may be more likely to vote if they see their issues addressed.

How AI is Helping the US Election

AI is also helping in the US election process, offering some benefits under the hood.

• Improving Voter Access and Information: AI tools are breaking down barriers, making it easier for individuals with language barriers or disabilities to access vital voting information.

  
  

• Election Misinformation Detection: AI is crucial in combating disinformation, scanning social media and online platforms for fake news that could mislead voters. These tools are used by (almost all) the large social media companies. Not sure what @elonmusk is doing.

  
  

• Real-Time Sentiment Analysis: Polls are notoriously bad. Instead, AI can track public sentiment in real time, helping campaigns gauge reactions to their messages and adjust accordingly. This responsiveness allows campaigns to stay connected with voter concerns and priorities.

Where Are All the Election Deepfakes?

Among the more concerning developments in AI is the rise of deepfake technology. Deepfakes can create hyper-realistic fake videos or audio recordings of public figures, including candidates. This capability raises serious questions about how misinformation could affect elections. In a closely contested race, a single convincing deepfake could sway public opinion or damage a candidate’s reputation.

Thus, it’s surprising that we haven’t seen a significant deepfake incident disrupt the US electoral process so far, especially given how accessible this technology has become. Perhaps heightened awareness and proactive measures from media platforms may have helped mitigate potential disasters. In addition, the most popular gen-AI image and video generation sites explicitly block including public figures, like Presidential candidates. However, as deepfake technology continues to evolve, there’s no guarantee we won’t face challenges in the upcoming elections. Maybe this is like Y2K – with all the deepfake hype, the AI and social media sites were actually prepared to deal with the problem.

Ethical and Regulatory Concerns for the US Election

As AI becomes more integrated into the electoral process, ethical and regulatory concerns are rising. The stakes are high, and we must approach these issues thoughtfully as a society.

• Data Privacy in Campaigning: Campaigns gather massive amounts of voter data, raising important questions about privacy and how that data is used. As regulators improve data privacy rules in the US, will those rules cover political campaigns? Should there be explicit cybersecurity guidelines? Should the US government actually help safeguard that data with assistance from, say, the NSA?

  
  

• Transparency in AI-Driven Content: With AI-generated content on the rise, should ads and communications using AI be labeled as such so voters understand what’s human-made and what’s machine-generated?

  
  

• Mitigating Algorithmic Bias: AI is built on data and virtually all data sets are biased in some way; for example, algorithms can unintentionally favor certain demographics over others. Are campaigns addressing these biases to ensure that all voters are treated fairly and equitably?

The Road Ahead for AI in US Elections

Looking forward, the US will likely need new regulations and standards governing the use of AI in elections (especially around cybersecurity). Both federal and state governments are considering how to address AI’s role in political campaigns, focusing on transparency, security, and data protection. Achieving this balance will require collaboration between policymakers, tech companies, and election officials to create a framework that safeguards democracy while embracing innovation.

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