Has the AI Election Threat Materialized?
Co-sponsored by the Brennan Center for Justice, this virtual event explored what we've learned about AI in the 2024 race — and what else we should look for in the weeks before (and after) Election Day.
Since ChatGPT first launched nearly two years ago, many have claimed the rise of AI would pose a significant threat to elections. Reports warned that a surge of AI-generated disinformation could undermine democracy. Intelligence officials worried that foreign actors would use AI to disrupt the electoral process. Americans agreed, with more than half saying AI could impact who will win in November.
But have these threats actually materialized? So far, we haven't seen a deluge of deepfakes, and most are quickly spotted and debunked. Perhaps the warnings did their job. Election officials have worked vigorously to prepare for AI-related threats, and the media have reported extensively on the problem, priming Americans to be skeptical of what they see online.
In this event, we convened experts from a variety of backgrounds — across government, civil society, academia, and media — to discuss what's happened with AI in the 2024 race, what we've learned from the experience, and what else we should look for in the weeks before (and after) Election Day.
Co-sponsored by NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Panelists
Shannon Bond - Disinformation Correspondent, NPR
Adrian Fontes - Arizona Secretary of State
Lawrence Norden - Vice President, Elections & Government Program, Brennan Center for Justice
Vivian Schiller - Vice President & Executive Director, Aspen Digital
Joshua A. Tucker - Co-Director, NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics (moderator)