Deepfakes & misinformation: How generative AI impacts elections

As state and local governments race to incorporate generative AI into their operations, so too are political campaigns using the technology in their election materials. Election administrators are readying themselves for the technology’s misuse in spreading misinformation and disrupting the democratic process. On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Mekela Panditharatne, a lawyer with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program, address the mounting AI challenge. As the first American presidential election year in the generative AI era, 2024 will serve as a test case for the spread of AI-generated election disinformation and the ability of states to regulate it.

StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast is available every Wednesday. Listen more here.

If you want to hear more of the latest across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Spotify.