A majority of Americans believe artificial intelligence (AI) will increase the spread of misinformation during the 2024 presidential election, according to a poll released Friday.
The concerns shared by surveyed Americans in the AP-NORC and University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy poll follows the rapid rise of generative AI tools over the last year. Already, AI generated content has been used in 2024 election posts.
Overall, 58 percent of Americans said they think the use of AI will increase the spread of misinformation during next year’s election. It was even higher amongst Americans who have “heard a lot or some about AI,” with 61 percent in that group sharing those concerns, according to the poll.
As the government grapples with how to regulate AI, including the use of AI for elections, the majority of polled Americans supported action to address the use of AI.
Sixty-six percent of Americans said they favor the federal government banning false or misleading AI images in political ads. That support was bipartisan, with 78 percent support from Democrats and 66 percent from Republicans, according to the poll.
A slimmer majority, 54 percent, said they favor the federal government banning all AI generated content in political ads, according to the poll.
There was also support for companies to take action; 65 percent of Americans said they favor technology companies labeling all AI generated content made on their platforms, and 60 percent said they favor social media platforms banning false of misleading AI generated images on their site.
The poll surveyed 1,017 Americans from Oct. 19-23. The margin of error is 4.1 percentage points.
The federal government has been taking action to address the risk of AI. On Monday, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order on AI that addressed a wide range of concerns, from national security to labor.
At the same time, as the administration pushes forward with executive action, the Senate has been convening AI Insight Forums that bring tech company executives, civil society groups and other AI experts to brief senators about the risks and benefits of AI on different areas of concern.
Next week, the Senate will hold a forum based on AI and elections, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday.
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