Although many AI models were released in 2023-04, it could be argued that this recent election is the first one where the American electorate was fully aware of AI…..and surrounded by it.
People have been seeking AI’s help for voting decisions. Heavy candidate bias is injected, incorrect instructions are given, races are invented, and even misleading candidate information has been provided.
Not long ago, Dr. Robert Epstein’s election-monitoring research proved Google’s Search bar results were manipulating users on a massive scale to favor Democratic candidates. Those list-based search results were rigged regarding elections, and he proved it.
Now, AI’s human-like answers and authoritative wording are infinitely more convincing than a list of links. AI chatbots give low-information voters a quick answer to a real question. This requires less thinking and less work than using search rankings.
A Pew survey of 5,273 U.S. adults found that 8% were using AI for election information. Among that group, 40% said they sought “suggestions on how to make voting choices.” As expected, people are using AI to help with political and candidate choices.
As the election got closer, more and more people used AI for election answers. In early October, the SSRS Carter Center survey found 11% of adults used AI to learn about House, Senate, and Governor candidates to decide how to vote. By the end of October, this was 25%.
