How AI Shaped and Shook 2024 Elections
- CF McHale
- May 25
- 3 min read
Here’s how AI was used—for better and worse—to influence voters and shape the electoral landscape.
The Dark Arts: Disinformation & Deepfakes
There is a basement in Moscow, filled with young men on a mission to hack. Basements are popping up everywhere, like mushrooms. Lethal combinations of the desire to hack and a lack of moral compass. It's just a desire to get one over on people. Trump invited them to DC and gave them the keys to the digital kingdom. DoGE was the greatest hack in history. We might as well drop off the grid and raise our food. Living in the material world has become synonymous with signing up for the new digital plantation. Human rights have been replaced with Human Resources. 9-5 serfdom for all.
In the shadows of campaign rallies and stump speeches, AI-generated deepfakes quietly spread. Clips of political figures saying things they never said—some subtle enough to sow doubt, others crafted for maximum outrage. Entire misinformation campaigns are powered by AI, churning out fake news, memes, and narratives tailored to manipulate emotions, divide communities, and suppress votes. AI didn’t invent propaganda, but it put it on steroids.
The Engine Room: Micro-Targeting & Engagement
Not all AI activity was nefarious. Campaigns used it to micro-target voters with surgical precision—analyzing browsing behavior, consumer data, and political leanings to deliver messages that felt personal, even intimate. I mean, you want to get out voters. AI streamlines that process. However, it can do so much more.
AI-powered chatbots answered voter questions, sent reminders, and simplified the registration process. But even those tools had a double edge: easy to deploy and just as easy to twist toward manipulative ends. AI is like water, seeping into the basement and rotting the foundations. Honestly, old and musty democracy doesn't stand a chance. Oligarchs like Musk question the need for democracies. Democracies get in the way. There aren't going to be pesky democracies on Mars if Musk has a say. If you doubt any of that, follow his X feed.
AI in the System: Security & Integrity
On the side of election integrity, AI tools monitored voter databases, flagged anomalies, and verified signatures. That’s a good thing. I mean, it always looks like a good thing on the surface. And we've been inundated with technology propaganda for decades. We've fallen in love with it. We believe technology is THE ANSWER! Right?
But it raised a new concern: surveillance overreach. How much data is too much? What if the tools meant to protect democracy start to erode it?
Ghosts in the Machine: Foreign Influence
AI didn’t respect borders. Foreign actors used it to run interference—generating divisive content, impersonating Americans, and fanning the flames of polarization. The bots didn’t sleep, and their messages were frighteningly convincing.
What the People Thought
Public concern over AI’s electoral role was high. Polls showed widespread anxiety about truth, trust, and transparency. But some experts say the fear may have outpaced the facts: AI amplified old tricks, but didn’t invent new ones.
Still, fear drove action. Some states passed legislation requiring disclosure for AI-generated content and placed early guardrails on its political use.
What Really Changed?
Did AI swing the election? Most analysts say no. It didn’t rewrite the rules—it optimized them. Campaigns became more efficient. Disinformation became more believable. And the ethical debate became unavoidable.
The Takeaway:
AI didn’t win or lose the 2024 election. But it certainly changed how the game is played.
And it’s just getting started.
Comments