AI, Foreign Actors, and Politicians: The Triple Threat to US Election

The upcoming US election is facing a major challenge: misinformation. Researchers are sounding the alarm about threats from AI and foreign influence, but surprisingly, voters are more worried about lies from politicians. According to Joshua Tucker, co-director of the New York University Centre for Social Media and Politics, “the most viral misinformation will have either emanated from politicians or will have been amplified by politicians” .

A recent Axios survey revealed that 51% of Americans are most concerned about politicians spreading falsehoods, followed by 35% worried about social media companies failing to stop misinformation and AI being used to deceive people. Foreign governments spreading misinformation came in third, with 30% of respondents expressing concern.

The spread of misinformation is eroding trust in democracy, with 64% of Americans believing the country’s democracy is in crisis and at risk of failing ¹. This is largely driven by politicians sowing falsehoods, which undermines confidence in the electoral process.

To combat misinformation, some states are taking proactive steps, such as:

• Myth Busting: Providing election fact checks and debunking popular myths on social media.
• Combatting Misinformation: Hiring cybersecurity experts to monitor sites for misinformation and countering misinformation campaigns with facts.
• News Literacy: Implementing media literacy programs in schools to help students discern legitimate information sources from falsehoods.

These efforts are crucial to restoring trust in democracy and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.