Virginia congressional candidate Bentley Hensel made waves by using an AI chatbot, “DonBot,” to debate in place of his opponent. This bold use of technology shows how AI chatbots in politics are changing the way candidates interact with voters.
As AI continues to play a larger role in politics, it brings both new opportunities and serious ethical concerns. The growing use of AI in politics raises questions about transparency, accountability, and the future of democracy.
With AI-driven politicians emerging around the world, the way we approach elections may never be the same. Read below for more details on how AI is transforming political campaigns and the ethical challenges it presents.
AI Chatbots in Political Campaigns
AI chatbots have been widely used in customer service and personal assistance for years, but their application in political campaigns is new. In the case of Hensel’s campaign, DonBot was designed to respond to questions as if it were Beyer, pulling from publicly available information like press releases and official statements.
This AI-based approach allows voters to access a candidate’s views at any time, without requiring their physical presence at a debate. However, this raises critical concerns about the authenticity and reliability of such interactions, especially as concerns about AI and Elections continue to grow.
Beyond Hensel’s use of AI, chatbot politicians are now emerging, taking the idea of AI in politics to the next level. Unlike AI tools that assist in campaigns, these chatbot politicians are AI-driven entities developed specifically to run for office.
In 2017, SAM, the world’s first virtual politician, was launched in New Zealand. SAM’s creator, Nick Gerritsen, described it as the “politician of the future,” designed to represent the views of the public without the bias or self-interest that often plagues human politicians.
As technology advances, more candidates may adopt AI chatbots like DonBot to handle routine political communications. The ability to interact with voters 24/7 and respond to their concerns with data-driven answers is a powerful tool for campaigns.
However, critics argue that AI chatbots can never truly replicate the personal touch that voters expect from human candidates. Furthermore, the risk of AI Misuse in 2024 Elections and the potential for Political Deepfakes pose serious challenges.
Ethical Concerns of AI Chatbots
While AI chatbots offer efficiency and accessibility, they raise ethical concerns. Though many believe AI is neutral, the use of AI in political campaigns shows it can still reflect human biases.
Advocates claim that AI politicians work for “the people” using objective knowledge and data analysis. However, many experts, including Silvija Vuković, have pointed out that this assumption is flawed. She argues that AI chatbots, despite being machines, are not as impartial as they may seem:
“Chatbots are not neutral, because they must first be created by fallible human beings with desires and opinions” (Vuković, 2024).
The underlying issue is that AI chatbots are programmed by humans, which means they inherit the biases of their creators. Even if AI tools are built to process data objectively, the training data itself can be biased or incomplete, leading to skewed responses.
For instance, research has shown that AI tools like ChatGPT tend to lean towards certain political ideologies. As Vuković explains:
“Scholars found that ChatGPT leans toward the left of the political spectrum… If this chatbot could vote, it ‘would have voted most likely for the Greens both in Germany and in the Netherlands” (Vuković, 2024).
This highlights the importance of transparency in politics and in developing and using AI chatbots.
Without clear rules and disclosure, voters may unknowingly be influenced by biased or manipulated responses from AI rather than engaging with objective, fact-based political discourse.
The implications for election security and preventing disinformation in election 2024 cannot be overstated.
The Populist Connection: AI and Techno-Populism
AI chatbots in politics are not just technological tools—they are also political actors that may align with certain ideologies. In particular, many AI-driven political tools have been linked to populism.
Populism is a political approach dividing society into opposing groups: “the corrupt elite” and “the good people.” AI chatbots, often portrayed as neutral and free from human corruption, fit neatly into this narrative.
Vuković argues that AI chatbots often take on a populist role by presenting themselves as champions of the people:
In this way, AI chatbots are often seen as tools to bypass traditional political structures, which populists view as corrupt or inefficient.
For example, in 2018, a humanoid robot ran in the mayoral elections in Tama, Japan, promising to collect and analyze data from citizens to create policies that would benefit the majority.
This aligns with the populist idea of giving power directly to the people and removing it from the hands of political elites.
The Future of Chatbot Politicians
As AI technology continues to evolve, the use of chatbot politicians is likely to expand. Leader Lars is an AI-driven chatbot created by the Synthetic Party in Denmark.
It is already campaigning for AI-human coexistence and advocating for a new political system based on rational, data-driven decisions.
The party’s main goal is to show how AI can improve democracy by eliminating the flaws of human decision-making, such as bias, emotion, and corruption. This is part of a broader trend in AI political strategy.
However, critics warn that this reliance on AI to make political decisions comes with risks. Vuković notes that while AI may be seen as neutral, humans still create it, and its programming reflects the biases and values of its developers:
“AI-driven chatbots must be programmed by humans. When the data on which they are trained is not transparent, a chatbot’s true nature is concealed” (Vuković, 2024).
This lack of transparency is particularly dangerous in politics, where decisions have real-world consequences. If voters are unaware of how chatbot politicians make decisions, they may be less likely to hold these AI entities accountable.
Moreover, as AI systems continue to learn and evolve, it becomes harder to predict their behavior, raising questions about their role in democratic processes.
Transparency and Regulation: The Way Forward
The use of AI in political campaigns requires strong regulatory frameworks to ensure transparency and fairness. In Hensel’s case, his campaign was upfront about using DonBot as a stand-in for his opponent. However, not all campaigns may be so transparent.
Without clear rules, voters could be misled into thinking they are interacting with human representatives when, in fact, they are engaging with AI.
Experts are calling for regulations that require candidates to disclose when AI is being used in campaign materials, debates, and voter interactions.
These regulations would help ensure that AI-driven content is labeled clearly so voters can make informed decisions. As Vuković explains:
“When the data on which they are trained is not transparent, a chatbot’s true nature is concealed” (Vuković, 2024).
AI chatbots could be a powerful tool for enhancing voter engagement, but without proper oversight, they also have the potential to undermine trust in the political process.
Explore More Insight
- Discover how AI is raising privacy risks by detecting political views from facial expressions in Privacy Risks Emerge as AI Detects Politics in Blank Expressions.
- Learn about the growing threat of misinformation in elections with AI-driven content in AI Election Misinformation 2024.
- Understand how threat actors are using AI to influence political outcomes in OpenAI Reports Ongoing Threat Actor Attempts to Influence Elections.
- Explore how to craft compelling political speeches with the help of AI writing tools in Write a Political Speech Using AI Writing Tools.
- Get insights on how AI is being used for election interference and its implications in AI Election Interference.
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Conclusion: Is AI the Future of Politics?
AI chatbots like DonBot and AI-driven politicians such as Leader Lars are changing the way political campaigns operate, offering efficiency and new ways to connect with voters. However, along with these benefits come serious ethical concerns, particularly around transparency, bias, and accountability.
As AI becomes more entrenched in political processes, voters, candidates, and regulators need to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing these challenges.
The future of AI in politics holds promise, but it must be handled responsibly. Ensuring that AI supports, rather than undermines, the democratic process requires clear regulations and strong oversight. Transparency and accountability will be key in maintaining the integrity of elections in this new AI-driven era.
