Artificial intelligence has managed to seep itself into nearly every aspect of our lives, including the sphere of politics. Like a double-edged sword, it holds the power rather to sustain transparency or manipulate public perception in elections, as was observed in the 2020 United States Presidential Elections involving Donald Trump.
During the 2020 Trump campaign, AI played an influential role, making it possible to create digital crowds. It was a bid to demonstrate his overwhelming support, thus questioning the credibility of the conventional poll results, which predicted otherwise. Digital crowds, a novel concept, encompass AI-generated social media bots, which mimic real followers, generating convincing interactions. These bots were designed to spread pro-Trump messages exponentially, while also discrediting rival candidates, using false narratives. The expansive reach of these digital bots led Trump to reject the loss, attributing it to a supposedly rigged election.
While digital bots revealed new facets of AI prowess in politics, another technological innovation was at play, i.e., Unskewed Polls. Unlike traditional polls, unskewers introduce a margin of bias in favor of a particular candidate while generating results. The 2020 Trump Campaign adopted this method, influencing poll results, which proved detrimental to the democratic ethos of elections. Evidence suggested that unskewers released skewed polls favoring Trump, undermining the shared public belief in neutral poll outcomes.
AI, with its transformative power, has the potential to change the face of political campaigns. Yet, the way it debuted in the 2020 Trump campaign—manipulating public opinions and spreading political misinformation—brings up a myriad of ethical concerns. Overtly relying on AI for political processes poses a significant risk towards democracy and vote autonomy, as it can easily sway public sentiment with orchestrated campaigns.
Moreover, the advent of unskewers and their biased perspectives have further complicated electoral dynamics. Observing the change in polling results solely by introducing a bias erodes the essence of the electoral process, leading to a skewed political narrative. It heralds an era wherein public sentiment can be engineered, and political outcomes can be predicted selectively, something that is a clear contrast to the idea of democracy.
The extensive manipulation witnessed in the 2020 election serves as a stark reminder of how AI can disrupt the democratic flow if used improperly. While AI’s power to analyze voter behavior and predict electoral results can indeed be utilized effectively, ethical guidelines need to be enforced.
Summarily, as AI continues to play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping electoral dynamics, it’s crucial to maintain a balance. If handled responsibly with respect for voter autonomy and democratic values, AI can indeed revolutionize political campaigns and polling. However, care must be taken to prevent unscrupulous usage that can manipulate public perception and degrade democratic processes.
Undeniably, the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was a watershed moment in showcasing how AI can be exploited in the political area. However, it’s up to us, the stakeholders of democracy, to decide how this powerful tool should be wielded in the future.