With the development of AI technologies, AI is being used unethically in election filters as a threat from election influence pointed out. Microsoft forewarned that China was all set to tinker with the upcoming elections in India, the U.S., and South Korea and that they were eager to employ the help of AI-generated content. This warning is due to the recent China trial during Taiwan’s presidential election, in which an AI was used to impact the voting results.
Microsoft’s warning and assessment
Microsoft’s threat intelligence experts revealed that China is likely to be the country behind state-sponsored hacking groups that could use North Korean involvement to access state electoral agencies’ systems in the 2024 elections. The warning comes after China attempted to use AI during an election of Taiwan’s President to influence the outcome. The plan was implemented with AI technology since AI-generated content like fake audio endorsements and memes made some candidates look bad or manipulated voters’ perceptions.
According to Microsoft officials, AI-generated content from China challenges the integrity of US elections, especially crucial elections like the 2024 presidential race. The tech giant cautions that creating “deepfakes,” fictional events, and other deceptive techniques may trick the public and harm their ability to make sound and right decisions.
AI influence in elections is not only the experience of Taiwan; the United States has also seen China’s AI activity in the political sphere. Chinese groups purported to have carried out the same disinformation campaigns on key targeted voting populations and posted partisan material on social media outlets as well. However, most of the research on this topic fails to provide much support to their claims of a notable change in public opinion.
Leading into the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic primaries, an AI-generated voice message impersonating President Joe Biden’s voice was released, encouraging voters to abstain from participating in the voting process. Despite the contention that the situation does not relate to China, the event conveys the more general hazard to democratic procedures posed by AI.
Implications for India’s elections
India, which is to hold its general elections starting from April 19th, is also not free of the danger of AI interference. It is quite apparent that Microsoft’s alert shows that because of the rising cyberattacks, there is a need for increased vigilance to protect the integrity of India’s election from cyberattacks. Considering that the whole procedure consists of seven stages ranging from April 19 to June 1, fears about AI intruding into the voting process seem to be valid.
One of the biggest challenges India has as the largest democracy in the world is maintaining the integrity of the electoral system from external interference. The AI-generated content could be used to manipulate the voters’ perceptions and disregard the election’s legitimacy, hence ending up distrusting the democratic process.
Following the increase in mass elections internationally, governments, technology providers, and human rights organizations should address the danger posed by AI-generated content. Overcoming this obstacle necessitates interconnected attempts to create drastic measures for quickly detecting and thwarting the spread of fake information. Safeguarding the integrity and transparency of the electoral process should be at the top of the agenda ahead of India’s upcoming elections. Vigilance against AI manipulation and the promotion of digital literacy, as well as voter awareness, are the main pillars for defending democracy in the digital age.
AI in the influencing of elections is a major danger as it undermines the foundation of democracy and the integrity of the election process. Through ongoing monitoring and reactive approaches, stakeholders can act in unison to halt the dissemination of fake content and help ensure a clean democratic spirit.