AI-driven algorithms further exacerbate the spread of misinformation, amplifying its impact on public perception and potentially undermining the integrity of political campaigns, and have boosted digital oppression caused by increased censorship and surveillance by governments and corporations. They seek to diminish trust and dishonor the foundations of political rhetoric, which is critical to a functioning democracy.
AI is adept at mimicking or cloning human voices and creating hyper-realistic images and videos. By utilizing powerful social media algorithms, the technology can target and mislead specific audiences efficiently. It has also allowed government actors to implement meticulous censorship that is less detectable. These factors heavily impact the potential for AI to sabotage elections on a new scale. The Center for Security and Emerging Technology offers a framework called RICHDATA to describe the stages of disinformation campaigns and commonly used techniques. Operators gather information and understand the audience they want to influence. They continuously create and share content such as videos, images, and articles on fake accounts and social media groups to ensure that their messages spread widely. Once released online, these false messages are boosted by bots, algorithms, and social tricks to reach more people. They also engage with real users by trolling to have a bigger impact. The goal is to change the minds of unsuspecting people.
These campaigns leverage the key aspects of modern social media platforms to enhance user interaction and connectivity. They take advantage of how the human brain works They aim to widen existing divisions in open societies, diminish trust, and undermine the shared basis of political discussions, which is vital for a healthy democracy. Due to their scale and scope, disinformation campaigns are difficult to detect and debunk.
Sources:
https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/ai-and-the-future-of-disinformation-campaigns/
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2023/repressive-power-artificial-intelligence
