In the upcoming 2024 presidential election, the majority of Americans are fearful that artificial intelligence (AI) will be a major catalyst for spreading misinformation, according to a recent poll.
What Happened: A survey spearheaded by the AP-NORC and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy indicates that 58% of Americans anticipate AI to be a significant source of misinformation in the 2024 elections, as reported by The Hill.
This belief is particularly prevalent among those with knowledge of AI, with 61% expressing worries.
Moreover, amidst governmental efforts to regulate AI usage in elections, a significant 66% of Americans support action to curb its use.
Specifically, they endorse a federal ban on misleading AI images in political ads, with strong bipartisan support.
A slight majority of 54% also supports a complete ban on AI-generated content in political ads.
Furthermore, many are urging tech companies to step up, with 65% favoring labels on all AI-generated content and 60% advocating for social media platforms to ban misleading AI images.
The survey involved 1,017 Americans and was conducted from Oct. 19 to 23.
Why It Matters: The poll’s results echo American voters’ concerns about election integrity in the context of the rise of AI. This issue gained prominence after the 2020 election and is shaping up to be a key storyline for 2024.
In September, a survey conducted by Morning Consult and Axios showed that half of Americans (53%) worry misinformation could be spread by AI on who wins the 2024 election.
Concerns over AI’s role in propagating misinformation are not unfounded.
In October 2023, Democrats expressed serious concerns about election misinformation spread by Amazon’s Alexa. The letter to Amazon’s founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos, followed a report revealing instances of the virtual assistant promoting false claims about the 2020 election.
In addition, it was also reported previously that Elon Musk’s Twitter, now known as X, removed its misinformation reporting feature in September 2023, raising concerns about its ability to address false claims. This tool has been seen as crucial for combating the spread of misinformation during election seasons.
The latest poll results and the federal government’s ongoing actions highlight the pressing issue of AI and misinformation in the upcoming election.
Photo by Phonlamai Photo on Shutterstock
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