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Generative AI is being used globally to create deepfakes and disinformation campaigns targeting elections. These incidents, documented in countries including the U.S., Moldova, Slovakia, Bangladesh, and Taiwan, involve the impersonation of political figures and the spread of false information to manipulate voter behavior. Experts warn that this trend is eroding public trust in democratic institutions and that current mitigation efforts by governments and tech companies are insufficient.
AI-driven election disinformation is escalating globally, leveraging easy-to-use generative AI tools to create convincing deepfakes that mislead voters. This shift has simplified the process for individuals to generate fake content, having already eroded trust in elections by undermining public trust and manipulating voter perceptions. Evidence has, for example, been documented in incidents across the U.S., Moldova, Slovakia, Bangladesh, and Taiwan.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to conduct large-scale disinformation campaigns, malicious surveillance, or targeted and sophisticated automated censorship and propaganda, with the aim of manipulating political processes, public opinion, and behavior.
Also classified as
In Bangladesh, an opposition lawmaker was depicted in a bikini, exposing conservative audiences to non-consensual sexualized content.
The deluge of deepfakes erodes public trust in what they see and hear, threatening shared reality.
The incident involves coordinated, large-scale disinformation campaigns using AI-generated deepfakes to influence political processes and public opinion across multiple countries.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The risk is caused by human actors intentionally using post-deployment generative AI tools to create and spread political disinformation.
Added categories peak at 4: Severe (Epistemic Harm, Indirect)
The widespread deployment of generative AI to create political deepfakes represents a severe threat to information security and national sovereignty across multiple democracies. By targeting heads of state and electoral processes, these campaigns undermine the integrity of democratic transitions and erode public trust, requiring coordinated national and international responses.
The report describes generative AI services being used by individuals to create deepfakes with just a simple text prompt, acting as a tool to perform specific, well-defined functions of image, video, and audio generation.
Limited Risk: The report describes the creation and spread of AI-generated content such as deepfakes, which requires transparency obligations under the EU AI Act.
The AI systems were primarily used to generate highly convincing deepfake videos and audio clips of political figures to mislead voters.
The reports provide clear, journalistic accounts of multiple specific deepfake incidents across different countries, citing experts, government officials, and targeted individuals.
Some might view these as standard political dirty tricks rather than a novel AI-driven threat, though the scale and ease of creation are uniquely AI-enabled.
Technology
Low-Cost Generative AI Tools
Free or cheap tools allow anyone to generate convincing deepfakes easily.
Hard-to-Detect Audio Deepfakes
Manipulated audio lacks visual indicators, making detection very difficult.
Misleading AI Chatbots
Chatbots generate false information that can disenfranchise voters.
Data Inputs
Simple Text Prompts
Users can generate complex fakes using only basic text instructions.
Human Factors
Low Media Literacy
Voters in some regions trust online content without verifying its source.
Auditory Bias
Humans are less accustomed to detecting manipulation in audio than video.
Malign Intent of Adversaries
Foreign actors use AI to deliberately manipulate elections and sow discord.
Process and Methods
Easily Bypassed Safeguards
Users easily circumvent platform rules or use alternative services.
Inadequate Detection Capabilities
Governments and tech companies lack the tools to quickly identify deepfakes.
Encrypted Platform Distribution
Services like Telegram use encryption, making tracking and moderation hard.
Management
Slow Response to AI Threat
Tech companies and governments fail to move fast enough to block fakes.
Regulatory Environment
Delayed Regulatory Mandates
Rules like EU's labeling requirements take effect too late for elections.
Voluntary Tech Pacts
Non-binding agreements allow some platforms to avoid implementing safeguards.
Lack of Global Standards
Global regulations are lagging behind the rapid advancement of AI tech.
AI system involved
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
