By Malena Le, Reporter
Edited by Carson Bonner
MOUNT BERRY Ga. – As November’s elections draw near and campaigns flood media, the integration of AI technology poses a new set of challenges for voters to navigate.
Misinformation is not new to the political stage, but the amassment of AI-generated images and deepfakes of political candidates has made it more challenging for voters to distinguish between accurate content and AI creation.
Artificial Technology (AI) deepfakes are not a new concept. However, now they are becoming more difficult to spot. Technology has made information available to voters at the click of a button, yet voters are still susceptible to it. Crystal Alday, the Technical Support Desk Manager at Berry College, explained why.
“People love a good story and if it is outrageous enough it will spread like wildfire,” Alday said.
However, civic engagement across youth has been lacking partly due to the political climate, and because there is a lack of knowledge about the voting process. Emily Pineda-Duarte, a junior communication and Spanish major has interned at the Floyd County Elections Office since she was 16 years old. According to Pineda-Duarte, the main voter demographic consists of the elderly.
“The older you get, the more you learn,” Pineda-Duarte said.
Civic engagement among the youth has been largely lacking partly due to the political climate, and because there is a lack of knowledge about the voting process. During her time volunteering at the office, she has helped start a program to reach out to high schools and promote voting engagement among the students.
“Federal elections are the ones that people mainly come out for, however, local elections are probably the ones that impact citizens the most,” Pineda-Duarte said, “It would be nice if more people came out for the smaller or local elections.”
Abigail Vegter, assistant professor of political science at Berry College described the concept of blue lies, which are lies that are seen as for the benefit of a group and to protect that group. The nation has become more tolerant of AI-generated information and misinformation because we have divided ourselves from citizens of a nation to party affiliation. Voters are already looking for information that makes the opposing parties look malicious and with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, it’s much easier for voters to accept these lies.
“Americans were very comfortable in lying in times of war, if it means the United States wins a war, yes, lie to our enemies,” Vegter said, “And now the political system and the intense polarization we are experiencing lead us to see our political opponents as enemies.”
Even though the capacities of AI and the access to misinformation have grown, it still has some tells. Most major news outlets refuse to publish any AI-generated photos, and most people tend to be more skeptical of AI-generated videos or phone calls. Even X, formerly known as Twitter, has policies set in place to alert users whether the tweet they are reading is AI-generated or just misinformation.
Regarding misinformation, Vegter offers up snopes.com, a site dedicated to fact-checking popular news articles. The Washington Post Fact Checker is another helpful resource that also can be used during the presidential debates to avoid any misinformation that the candidates may try to present.
Generally, voters can feel a bit more reassured as the longer and more detailed an article is, the less likely it contains misinformation. Consuming more long-term media can remedy this, but even then, when researching candidates and policies make sure that the information presented is concise throughout other reputable platforms. The New York Times, while not completely non-partisan, is a good starting point for research. Berry students get free access to it through Berry College.
Students can also get involved with the Berry College Young Democrats and the Berry College Republicans who usually promote voter engagement in the fall, as well as information on when students need to register, early election deadlines, and out-of-state voting. There will be more election-related Cultural Events credits once November approaches.
“The best thing is to keep that suspicion don’t take things at face value, “Alday said. “It never hurts to reverify.”