University of Kwazulu-Natal

The Role Of Ai In The 2024 Elections Ash Center

Bonisiwe Shabane
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the role of ai in the 2024 elections ash center

Creating a healthy digital civic infrastructure ecosystem means not just deploying technology for the sake of efficiency, but thoughtfully designing tools built to enhance democratic engagement from connection to action. Last week’s leak of the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” drew intense reactions across academia. Critics call it government overreach threatening free expression, while supporters see a chance for reform and renewed trust between universities and policymakers. Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, director of the Democratic Knowledge Project and the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, weighs in. Amid rising illiberalism, Danielle Allen urges a new agenda to renew democracy by reorienting institutions, policymaking, and civil society around the intentional sharing of power.

Creating a healthy digital civic infrastructure ecosystem means not just deploying technology for the sake of efficiency, but thoughtfully designing tools built to enhance democratic engagement from connection to action. Public engagement has long been too time-consuming and costly for governments to sustain, but AI offers tools to make participation more systematic and impactful. Our new Reboot Democracy Workshop Series replaces lectures with hands-on sessions that teach the practical “how-to’s” of AI-enhanced engagement. Together with leading practitioners and partners at InnovateUS and the Allen Lab at Harvard, we’ll explore how AI can help institutions tap the collective intelligence of our communities more efficiently and effectively. Despite early public concerns about AI dramatically disrupting this year’s elections, the panelists agreed that most of those fears were not realized, while a more nuanced reality emerges — AI is permeating all aspects... As Persily noted, AI amplifies the abilities of both good and bad actors to achieve the same goals they’ve always had in elections.

Amid growing unease over the role of artificial intelligence in everyday life, a majority of Americans say they are concerned about the impact of AI on the 2024 presidential campaign. Americans also express little confidence in major technology companies to prevent misuse of their platforms to influence the election. Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand Americans’ views of the influence of artificial intelligence and technology companies on the 2024 presidential election. As part of a larger study, we surveyed 9,720 adults from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, 2024.

Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take... This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors.

Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology. Propagandists are pragmatists and innovators.1 Political marketing is a game in which the cutting edge can be the margin between victory and defeat. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) features prominently for those in the political marketing space as they add new tools to their strategic kit. However, given generative AI’s novelty, much of the conversation about its use in digital politicking is speculative. Observers are taking stock of the roles generative artificial intelligence is already playing in U.S.

politics and the way it may impact highly contested elections in 2024 and in years to come. Amid policymakers’ and the public’s concerns, there is an urgent need for empirical research on how generative AI is used for the purposes of political communication and corresponding efforts to manipulate public opinion. To better understand major trends and common concerns – such as generative AI’s role in the rapid production of disinformation, the enabling of hyper-targeted political messaging, and the misrepresentation of political figures via synthetic... These interviews were conducted between January and April 2024 with campaign consultants from both major political parties, vendors of political generative AI tools, a political candidate utilizing generative AI for her campaign, a digital... Who is using generative AI in the political space? How are they using generative AI in the political space?

The year 2024 is pivotal for global democracy, with over 4 billion people across more than 70 countries heading to the polls. This unprecedented scale of electoral participation is significantly influenced by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), presenting both remarkable opportunities and formidable challenges. AI has revolutionised political campaign strategies by enabling instant responses and precise audience targeting. Political parties and candidates are leveraging generative AI to create rapid responses to campaign developments, often within minutes. This technology allows for the generation of speeches, press releases, images, and videos, thereby reducing reliance on traditional, more time-consuming methods of content creation (Brookings) (Ash Center). Moreover, AI's ability to target specific voter segments with tailored messages is transforming how campaigns operate.

By focusing on swing voters or attempting to suppress opposition turnout, AI tools are optimising campaign efficiency, though this precision also raises ethical and regulatory concerns (Brookings) (POLITICO). The 2024 elections are witnessing a surge in AI-generated misinformation and disinformation, posing significant risks to the democratic process. Deepfakes and AI-generated content have become tools for spreading false information, as seen in incidents like deepfaked robocalls purportedly from political figures aimed at voter suppression (POLITICO) (Brennan Center for Justice). The Global Risks Report 2024 highlights misinformation and disinformation as top threats, potentially destabilising societies by undermining the legitimacy of election results (World Economic Forum). The proliferation of AI tools capable of creating convincing yet false content has outpaced regulatory efforts, leading to a challenging environment for election integrity (AI Elections accord). Wednesday, November 20, 2024 2:00pm to 3:00pm EST

The year 2024 was dubbed “the largest election year in global history” with half the world’s population voting in national elections. Earlier this year, we hosted an event on “AI and the 2024 Elections” where scholars spoke about the potential influence of artificial intelligence on the election cycle– from misinformation to threats on election infrastructure. This webinar will offer a reflection and exploration of the impact of artificial intelligence on the 2024 election landscape. This webinar is part of the 2024 U.S. Election Webinar series sponsored by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. As the United States heads to the polls in November, this series will convene scholars and practitioners to discuss down-ballot issues, election administration, election security, voter trends, and more.

This event is online-only and registration is required. A recording will be made available after the event’s conclusion. The Ash Center encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its events. Should you wish to enquire about an accommodation, please contact our events team at info@ash.harvard.edu. As we approach the 2024 elections, the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on democratic processes is a topic of increasing concern. This discussion brings together leading experts to analyze the multifaceted roles of AI in shaping elections, from the spread of misinformation to the potential for enhancing voter engagement.

Join us as we delve into the ethical, legal, and technological challenges posed by AI, and explore strategies for safeguarding the integrity of our elections. AI's dual role: AI can both enhance and undermine democratic processes, posing new challenges to election integrity. The misinformation threat: AI can generate highly realistic fake content, making it harder to distinguish truth from falsehood. Algorithmic bias: AI algorithms can perpetuate existing biases, leading to unequal or unfair outcomes in elections. Voter manipulation: AI-driven microtargeting can be used to manipulate voters with personalized disinformation.

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