How US Campaigns Are Already Using AI to Try to Sway Voters
39 U.S. congressional candidates "reported paying for an OpenAI subscription this election cycle," writes the Washington Post, citing campaign finance disclosures. This means the campaigns "are using the technology to court voters — despite limits imposed by leading AI companies to protect elections from the technology's risks." Two [candidates] said explicitly in filings that they had used the…
In the 2023 U.S. election cycle, 39 congressional candidates reportedly utilized OpenAI subscriptions to leverage the company's AI technology for voter outreach, according to the Washington Post, based on campaign finance disclosures. Despite OpenAI's policies prohibiting candidates from using its tools to generate ads, 39 campaigns paid for the service, highlighting the growing integration of AI in political campaigns.
Two candidates explicitly mentioned using the subscription for advertising, while others disclosed employing AI to craft personalized messages or generate synthetic media. Around 30 political action committees and parties have reported payments to OpenAI, with the Republican National Committee leading as the company's largest political spender at approximately $9,700.
Political consultants suggest that the disclosures likely underestimate the actual usage of AI tools by candidates. Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist, noted that campaigns primarily use AI to write emails, ad copy, and scripts, though they avoid openly admitting to it. The lack of transparency stems from the paradox that while AI is pervasive, voters may distrust messages they suspect were generated by AI, making it undesirable for campaigns to disclose its use.
As Election Day approaches, consultants anticipate an increase in outsourcing AI-generated ads and materials to super PACs, similar to their current practices with negative ads. Katie Harbath, CEO of Anchor Change and a former Meta executive, likened AI-generated negative ads to traditional negative ads, stating that while voters find them distasteful, politicians continue using them due to their effectiveness.
Harbath, who authored a book on the intersection of technology and democracy, observed a divide among the left on the use of AI, with some questioning why the right seems to have an advantage in adopting the technology. OpenAI has implemented policies to prevent targeted disinformation, but the Post's analysis revealed inconsistent enforcement, allowing campaigns to bypass the rules.
In late July and early August, ChatGPT was prompted to generate targeted campaign messages, producing tailored texts that violated OpenAI's policies. However, the same prompt generated appropriate responses on subsequent attempts. Similarly, the chatbot inconsistently complied with rules prohibiting AI-generated emails to voters.
OpenAI should seek more feedback from political consultants and campaigns to refine its policies, according to Wilson, as the rules can appear arbitrary or contradictory. Despite the prevalence of AI in political campaigns, AI-generated deepfakes have had limited impact in U.S. elections thus far. While over 30 states have enacted laws limiting the use of deepfakes in political campaigns, enforcement is challenging due to limited resources and constitutional challenges.
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