AI Tools in 2024's Election Messaging Boom

This has been the "year of elections" with a record number of people either having already voted or are set to vote in 64 countries. And 2024 has seen mobile messaging apps become the dominant medium for political campaigns, revolutionising voter engagement. This shift is driven by the ubiquity of smartphones, declining trust in traditional media, and the powerful capabilities of AI, which have enabled more direct and personalised communication between candidates and voters. While this transformation offers more inclusive voter participation, it also raises concerns about the ethical use of AI and the potential for voter manipulation, highlighting the urgent need for regulatory oversight.

"AI allows campaigns to move beyond broad-based messaging to highly targeted communication strategies," said Katy Harbat, Head of International Affairs at DUCO Experts and former Public Policy Director at Facebook, in an interview with MEF’s "Perspectives" podcast. She emphasised that while AI lets campaigns analyse voter data in real-time and adapt their messaging swiftly, this precision also comes with the responsibility to ensure voters are informed rather than manipulated.

The Rise of Mobile Messaging in Political Campaigns

Mobile platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, along with SMS texts, have seen explosive growth in political usage due to their unparalleled reach and immediacy. In countries like India, Brazil, and the United States, these apps have become essential tools for political campaigns, effectively bypassing traditional media channels.

The sheer volume of political messaging in the 2024 US elections underscores the transformative role these platforms play. Thomas Peters, founder and CEO of RumbleUp—a peer-to-peer texting platform widely used by the Republican Party—highlighted this shift, noting that 2024 is expected to see a 50% increase in political messaging compared to 2022, when about 16 billion messages were sent. "I would be surprised if we didn’t at least reach 25 billion political messages, both sides, between now and November 5th of this year,” he told the audience of a panel during the MEF Leadership Forum Americas in Miami, Florida.

This surge illustrates the growing reliance on mobile messaging and the scale at which campaigns are investing in these new forms of communication. The reasons are pretty clear. According to research conducted by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, most U.S. adults (60%) prefer to get their news through digital media. An even higher percentage (86%) will often or sometimes consume news via a smartphone, tablet or computer. And most of the US voting population (97%) has access to mobile messaging.  

Mobile phone political messaging offers significant benefits, such as increasing voter engagement, particularly among younger and disenfranchised voters. It also provides a direct and efficient channel for candidates to inform the electorate about key issues, ultimately enhancing democratic participation.

The Power and Risks of AI in Political Messaging

In India, where general elections were held from April 19th to June 1st, AI-driven deepfake technology was used to impersonate both deceased and living politicians, delivering messages under the guise of familiar leaders.

In the US, AI-generated messages have impersonated candidates, further blurring the line between reality and manipulation. A fake robocall from "President Joe Biden" highlighted the growing concern over misinformation. According to a McAfee study, 43% of Americans are worried about deepfakes influencing elections, 37% about undermining trust in media, and 43% about impersonating public figures.

In the UK, just before July 4th snap elections, deepfake audio clips of Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer and Slovak opposition head Michal Šime?ka spread rapidly on social media before being debunked by fact-checkers.

AI has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of mobile messaging by enabling campaigns to precisely target and personalise communication. However, this capability also introduces significant risks. The line between persuasion and manipulation is becoming increasingly blurred, particularly as AI-generated deepfakes gain sophistication. Anna Quint, Executive Director of Campaign Verify, warned — in an interview with MEF — that AI-generated content could truly sway an election, especially on the local level, where budgets are smaller, and the electorate is less likely to recognise deepfakes as fabrications.

Regulatory Challenges and Future Implications

The rise of mobile messaging during elections has exposed significant regulatory gaps. Unlike public social media platforms, messaging apps operate within closed networks, making it difficult for regulators to monitor content and curb the spread of misinformation. This regulatory void raises concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the potential for abuse.

Anna Quint emphasised that while tools like Campaign Verify can ensure the identity of political campaigns, broader regulatory measures are needed to address the content and governance of these messages. Without comprehensive regulation, political messaging risks becoming the "wild west."

Looking ahead, governments and tech companies must collaborate to create regulations that balance privacy with transparency, ensuring accountability in political messaging. The future will likely see increased regulation, stronger data privacy measures, and further integration of advanced technologies like AI, AR, and VR to engage voters in new ways.

The tech accord to combat deceptive use of AI in election campaigns promoted by 25 leading companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta and Open AI, at the margins of the Munich Security Conference in February, is a step in the right direction. But remains nothing more than a letter of intent. 

The elections of 2024 have marked a turning point in political communication, with mobile messaging becoming central to campaign strategies. The potential for both positive innovation and manipulation is unprecedented. Protecting the integrity of elections and democracy will require careful consideration.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Riccardo Amati is from MEF (the Mobile Ecosystem Forum), a global trade body established in 2000 and headquartered in the UK with members across the world. As the voice of the mobile ecosystem, it focuses on cross-industry best practices, anti-fraud and monetisation. MEF provides its members with global and cross-sector platforms for networking, collaboration and advancing industry solutions.  

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