AI: Deploying AI tools in Politics

...it began in Argentina

There are a lot of fears around AI, even this early in the AI Tech Wave. Existential fears around AI technologies helped precipitate the drama this past week around OpenAI, both in the tactical forces and behind the scenes strategic forces that were the catalysts for that drama.

But the fears that are top of mind for politicians and regulators as we approach the political seasons of 2024 are how AI could warp elections going forward. Both in terms of the potentially overwhelming floods of text and images that are ahead of us. Of course, historically, we already have evidence of how technologies can be used to nudge elections in the past, from the PC, to the Internet, and of course through the age of Facebook/Instagram and WhatsApp. Not to mention YouTube, and of course TikTok.

The NYTimes’ piece ‘Is Argentina the First AI Election?’, kicks off the discussion on this topic in a piece worth reading. Even after we of course know that Argentina, a nation of 45+ million, did elect right-wind libertarian Javier Milei as their new president, 56% over his rival, Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massa. The AI machinations of the election are notable, if as a precursor of what to expect on larger political battles here and beyond. As the NYT illustrates:

“The posters dotting the streets of Buenos Aires had a certain Soviet flair to them.

There was one of Argentina’s presidential candidates, Sergio Massa, dressed in a shirt with what appeared to be military medals, pointing to a blue sky. He was surrounded by hundreds of older people — in drab clothing, with serious, and often disfigured, faces — looked toward him in hope.

The style was no mistake. The illustrator had been given clear instructions.”

The AI prompts were vivid and specific:

“Sovietic Political propaganda poster illustration by Gustav Klutsis featuring a leader, masssa, standing firmly,” said a prompt that Mr. Massa’s campaign fed into an artificial-intelligence program to produce the image. “Symbols of unity and power fill the environment,” the prompt continued. “The image exudes authority and determination.”

Both sides wielded AI technologies and tools:

“Javier Milei, the other candidate in Sunday’s runoff election, has struck back by sharing what appear to be A.I. images depicting Mr. Massa as a Chinese communist leader and himself as a cuddly cartoon lion. They have been viewed more than 30 million times.”

Argentina’s election has quickly become a testing ground for A.I. in campaigns, with the two candidates and their supporters employing the technology to doctor existing images and videos and create others from scratch.”

The context of course is clear:

“A.I. has made candidates say things they did not, and put them in famous movies and memes. It has created campaign posters, and triggered debates over whether real videos are actually real.”

“A.I.’s prominent role in Argentina’s campaign and the political debate it has set off underscore the technology’s growing prevalence and show that, with its expanding power and falling cost, it is now likely to be a factor in many democratic elections around the globe.”

“Experts compare the moment to the early days of social media, a technology offering tantalizing new tools for politics — and unforeseen threats.”

Images and text of course will also be supplemented with voice and video driven attempts to influence the electorate, deepfakes or not.

Regulators and tech companies are bracing themselves for the political seasons ahead”

“Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, said this week that it would require political ads to disclose whether they used A.I. Other unpaid posts on the sites that use A.I., even if related to politics, would not be required to carry any disclosures. The U.S. Federal Election Commission is also considering whether to regulate the use of A.I. in political ads.”

Preparations abound, by all parties private and government, to brace ourselves from the AI forces ahead in elections local, regional and national. Argentina was a test crucible for what’s ahead.

I’m still optimistic in these early days, that eventually, we’re able to take these forces in stride, regardless of how strong these winds blow. We just need to keep our fears in check, and prepare for the best. Stay tuned.

(NOTE: The discussions here are for information purposes only, and not meant as investment advice at any time. Thanks for joining us here)