American Voters Use AI Chatbots to Research Midterm Ballots
American voters are increasingly using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini to research candidates and fact-check claims for the upcoming midterm elections.
Approximately one in five American voters are consulting AI chatbots to research candidates and verify claims for the upcoming midterm elections, according to a survey by the American Association of Political Consultants Foundation. Usage rates remain similar across Democratic and Republican voters, with users employing tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to create comparative tables for gubernatorial races and investigate down-ballot candidates in areas with sparse local news coverage.
Some activists have leveraged these technologies to build nonpartisan resources, including a Ballot Lookup website in Pennsylvania. However, researchers warn that these tools can be sycophantic, potentially reinforcing a user's existing political leanings rather than providing objective data. OpenAI states that it monitors its models to ensure responses remain politically neutral, but critics argue that a lack of transparency regarding training data makes it difficult to identify inherent biases.
Other data from the Pew Research Center indicates that about half of all American adults now use AI-powered chatbots in their daily lives. While the tools offer efficiency in synthesizing candidate information, experts caution that the persuasive nature of AI could subtly influence voter perception by mirroring the user's own biases.
