AI’s Impact on Democracy: Virtual Candidates, Voter Influence, and Deepfake Risks in 2024 Elections

The rise of AI in politics raises important questions about the future of democracy, as AI-powered virtual candidates and voter influence through algorithms become more prevalent in 2024 elections worldwide.

Virtual politicians on the ballot: AI-generated candidates and political parties are emerging in various countries, aiming to represent voter interests through data-driven policies:

• In the UK, “AI Steve” is an avatar created to interact with and formulate policies based on constituent input, though some remain skeptical of trusting AI politicians.
• Similar experiments have been conducted in New Zealand with “SAM” and in Russia with “Alisa,” who ran against Vladimir Putin in 2018, while Denmark’s “The Synthetic Party” generated policies based on fringe party texts.
• However, AI companies like OpenAI have banned some AI candidates for violating user licenses by engaging in political campaigning.

AI’s influence on voter choices: Algorithms on social media platforms may already be subtly influencing voter decisions by feeding confirmation biases and shaping thoughts and actions:

• Philosopher Yuval Noah Harari suggests that AI could potentially vote on behalf of citizens due to its ability to understand individual beliefs and preferences, matching them with the most suitable candidates.

Deepfakes and disinformation risks: The increasing accessibility of powerful AI tools in 2024 heightens the threat of disinformation and reputation damage through convincing deepfake videos of politicians:

• While some deepfakes may be harmless, there is potential for misleading content to target those with low tech literacy, necessitating detection tools, legislation, and public education to mitigate risks.

Broader implications for the future of democracy: As AI becomes more sophisticated and pervasive, its impact on democracy will continue to grow, requiring careful consideration of ethical concerns and robust frameworks:

• Politicians may leverage AI for data-driven decisions, personalized voter targeting, and drafting proposals and legislation, while voters can gain insights into representative performance.
• However, issues of accountability, transparency, and prevention of misinformation must be addressed to ensure AI’s beneficial evolution within democratic systems, encouraging agreeable political actions and informed voter choices.