A recent report found that more than 75% of American adults believe the widespread use of artificial intelligence systems will have a significant impact on the 2024 presidential election. Fox News Digital.
The survey was conducted by Elon University Polling and the university’s Center for Imagining Digital Futures. The data revealed that about 73% of Americans believe that AI could be used to manipulate social media ahead of the election, potentially swaying the outcome when it comes time to vote.
“Voters believe this election is unfolding in an extremely challenging news and information environment.”
This social media manipulation could take the form of fake accounts spreading misinformation and distorting voters’ perceptions of the campaign, according to the report.
Additionally, 70% of Americans believe that AI-generated audio and video deepfakes could influence the outcome of the presidential election, and 62% of voters believe that AI could persuade some people not to show up to the ballot box.
Lee Rainey, Director of the Center for Digital Futures Initiatives at Elon University Said“Voters believe this election is unfolding in an extremely challenging news and information environment.”
“They expect AI will enable new kinds of misinformation, false materials and voter manipulation tactics. Worse yet, many aren’t confident they can sift through the garbage they know pollutes election-related content,” Rainey added.
An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that political candidates who knowingly or maliciously alter or fake their photos should be punished. Of those 93% who believe this, 46% say the candidate should be banned from holding office and 36% say perpetrators should be criminally prosecuted.
Many Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are unsure whether AI systems are fair or biased against different groups, but Republicans appear to have more concerns about AI systems than Democrats, and we found that people on the right feel that AI systems are more likely to be biased against their political views.
“Election misinformation existed before computers were invented, but many are concerned that in 2024, AI technology will be so advanced that bad actors will have the tools to spread misinformation on an unprecedented scale,” said Jason Hasser, a political science professor at Elon University and director of the poll.
“We know that most voters are aware of the risks of AI in the 2024 election. However, until we see the aftermath of AI-generated misinformation, it is unclear how that awareness will affect behavior. The optimistic outlook is that voters who are aware of the risks may be more cautious and more sophisticated consumers of political information in the 2024 election. The pessimistic outlook is that concerns about AI-driven misinformation may lead to lower self-efficacy, trust in institutions, and feelings of civic engagement.”
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