Fake News and US Elections – Can We Stop Disinformation?

2024 will stand the year of elections, not only in the US but across the globe with more voters than ever heading to the polls in 60+ countries. The stakes for safeguarding the integrity of our democracy have never been higher. While we’ve already experienced foreign interference in the past elections in 2016 and 2020, this time we confront a new frontier: a generative AI, which can be used almost by anyone at a low or no cost to create false and misleading narratives, in an attempt to influence people’s opinions and election behaviors. So, can we take a more active approach to mitigate the impact of disinformation upfront of the US elections in November?

Learnings From 2016 And 2020

Reflecting on past elections, it's evident that disinformation has played a role in shaping public opinion and influencing voter attitudes. According to Statista, a third of US voters reported encountering fake news during the 2016 elections. We know that at the time, foreign entities and other malicious players leveraged social media platforms to spread false narratives – Facebook confirmed that through its platform Russian-backed election content reached over 126 million Americans in 2016. Since then, public awareness of fake news has improved, and it’s estimated that the disinformation impact was smaller in the 2020 elections.

For instance, Stanford scholars found that a smaller percentage of Americans visited unreliable websites before the 2020 US election compared to 2016, indicating that mitigation and education efforts to identify misinformation are working. Nevertheless, the fight against disinformation is far from over.?

The Disinformation Impact

Spreading false information poses a significant threat to democracy. Disinformation campaigns can alter voters' behaviors and deepen the existing political divide. According to Chrysalis Wright, a Fake News Expert from the University of Central Florida, those instances behind disinformation aim to use topics that divide voters - such as gun rights, race relations, and immigration issues — to fuel polarization and eroding trust, ultimately advancing their own agendas.

However, the political debates don’t need to be polarizing or toxic. A recent study from the Kellog School of Management revealed that a major reason why political debates get toxic is that a small number of toxic players tend to dominate debates on social platforms driving away more moderate voices who prefer to avoid conflict. This overrepresentation creates a misleading image of the severity of the political divide.

But it’s not only the toxic players that spread disinformation. Anyone can share fake news – whether mistakenly or intentionally. People are more likely to believe and share information that confirms their existing views, and they can try to use it to impact others and how they act – particularly during elections.?

Regardless of intent, fake news influences our attitudes and beliefs. By circulating false information, public opinion can be purposely manipulated, persuading some undecided voters to act in a certain way or altering their perceptions. Fake news and disinformation erode trust in media outlets, the election process, and the government. As seen in past elections, foreign entities have used fake news and disinformation campaigns to interfere in our elections, and there's no reason to believe these elections will be any different.

The Unpredictable Role of AI

For the first time during the US elections, AI tools have become increasingly available to basically anyone. Even those with limited technical skills can leverage AI to produce authentic looking videos, texts, and images. Presenting both opportunities and challenges, AI’s potential to disrupt elections shouldn’t be underestimated.?

Even The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency has raised concerns about the potential misuse of AI: while AI presents opportunities for increased productivity, potentially enhancing election security and administration, these same capabilities also carry an increased potential for greater harm. Foreign state actors and cybercriminals can leverage AI tools also in new ways to spread sophisticated disinformation campaigns, advancing their own agenda, and undermining our democratic processes.

Therefore, it’s important to build greater awareness of how widely AI capabilities can be used to interfere with elections. It was not long ago when AI robocalls were used to impersonate President Biden in a bid to suppress votes, serving as a poignant reminder of the urgent need to combat such attempts.?

A Call to Action Against Disinformation

While it won’t be an easy task, we need an active, multifaceted approach to combat disinformation and fake news. Regulatory changes are needed to bring our laws and regulations to the AI age. Social media platforms must take greater responsibility in monitoring and flagging potentially malicious content spread through their channels – and openly share as and when they face such attempts. We also need to prioritize media literacy and fact-checking to empower individuals to discern truth from manipulated content, a role each of us can actively play.?

Moreover, we need sufficient, powerful technical innovations that are available and affordable for everyone to use. At Fact Finders Pro we're committed to developing AI-powered technology for real-time fact-checking and content verification. Our platform aims to empower individuals, organizations, and communities to make well-informed decisions based on accurate, reliable, and unbiased information. By addressing disinformation at its core, we aspire to rebuild trust in the digital age.?

In this critical mission, we invite everyone to join our efforts. Together, we can restore trust in information and protect our democratic values that matter most.

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