AI Politics: Shaping the Future

Lisa Ernst · 12.11.2025 · Technology · 8 min

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally transforming politics. It influences election campaigns, legislation, and citizen participation. This text explores the impact of AI on democratic processes, from opportunities to risks.

Source: Own Representation

Basics & Definitions

The rapid development of AI tools for text, image, and video generation is shifting the power balance between citizens, parties, platforms, and states. AI will make election campaigns more efficient and profoundly change information spaces, expectations of politics, and legislation, as stated by the European Parliament . At the same time, studies, for example from the World Economic Forum , warn against disinformation, deepfakes, and manipulation that can undermine trust in elections and institutions.

When talking about "AI Politics," it refers to the intertwining of AI with all political processes: from campaigns to legislation to citizen participation. AI refers to systems that perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, or supporting decisions ( arXiv).

Key terms in this context are:

• Generative AI: Models that learn from example data and can generate new text, images, audio, or videos. Examples include chatbots writing speeches or systems designing election posters and social media posts ( reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk).
• Microtargeting: Advertising tailored to very small target groups using large amounts of data, such as personalized political messages for specific voter segments on social media ( International IDEA).
• Deepfakes: AI-generated or heavily manipulated audio and video content that convincingly mimics real people, such as speeches by politicians that never took place ( Brennan Center for Justice).

„AI Politics“ encompasses three main fields:

1. Use of AI in election campaigns: from automated texts and chatbots to data-driven targeting ( LSE Public Policy Review).
2. Use of AI in governments and administrations: for citizen inquiries, consultations, or analyzing the impact of laws ( OECD).
3. Role of AI in disinformation, platform regulation, and new rules like the EU AI Act and the Regulation on political advertising.

Current Status & Developments

Since the 2010s, campaigns have already used data analysis and automated systems for voter segmentation and message testing. The Cambridge Analytica scandal brought these practices to light and triggered a debate about political data use ( eucrim.eu).

With the emergence of easily accessible generative AI since late 2022, campaign tools have become significantly more powerful. Studies describe how chatbots and text generators massively produce fundraising emails, voter responses, or social media posts, thereby reducing costs ( LSE Public Policy Review).

Research on political microtargeting shows that precisely tailored messages are particularly effective when addressed to those with political interest. The effect is real but often smaller than fears suggest ( PMC).

In parallel, democracy and security organizations warn against AI-supported disinformation: deepfakes, synthetic images, and automated networks can spread false information much faster and cheaper than traditional propaganda ( OSCE). ). A report by the Brookings Institution emphasizes that AI-escalated deepfakes, fake audios, and hyper-realistic images can undermine trust in elections by facilitating fraud and making genuine content appear suspicious.

The year 2024 was described as a “super election year,” with around 4.2 billion people worldwide called to the polls in over 70 countries – against the backdrop of massive use of digital platforms and growing concerns about AI-supported disinformation ( World Economic Forum).

Source: mxtemp.bricklink.com

Comparison of Election Campaigns: From Traditional to Current and AI-Driven Approaches.

A lot is happening regulatorily, especially in Europe: The EU AI Act was officially published in the Official Journal in summer 2024 and entered into force in August 2024. Bans on certain AI practices, transparent labeling obligations, and strict requirements for high-risk systems are gradually coming into effect. Article 50 of the AI Act requires providers to label AI-generated content, especially deepfakes, as artificially created ( EU Artificial Intelligence Act).

In addition, the EU's Regulation (EU) 2024/900 on the transparency and targeting of political advertising stipulates that online political advertisements must be clearly marked, documented in archives, and their data basis disclosed. Most obligations of this regulation apply from October 2025; large platforms like Meta have reacted by announcing they will no longer display political advertising in the EU to avoid legal risks ( Financial Times).

The Digital Services Act (DSA) also obliges platforms to set up transparent advertising libraries and assess risks to electoral processes. Violations, such as insufficient ad archives on TikTok, are publicly criticized by the EU Commission.

On the positive side, studies from OECD- and EU-Berichte, show how AI is used in citizen participation and open governance: chatbots answer government questions, translation systems lower language barriers, and analysis tools help structure thousands of input from consultations.

Analysis & Perspectives

„AI Politics“ is a contested field. For parties and campaigns, it's about efficiency and reach. With AI, they can create content faster, target audiences more accurately, and react to trends in real-time ( Responsible AI). Those who can address more people individually with less money gain an advantage in the competition – especially in polarized information environments.

Platforms pursue primarily two goals: user engagement and regulatory protection. Algorithms that maximize attention favor emotionally charged content. At the same time, companies are under pressure to curb misuse, disinformation, and opaque political advertising to avoid penalties under the DSA, AI Act, or the political advertising regulation ( European Commission, euaiact.com).

Source: allaboutai.com

The digitalization of electoral processes through AI raises new questions about security and transparency.

States view AI as both an opportunity and a risk. On the one hand, administrations can process citizen inquiries faster, recognize patterns in large datasets, and make laws more evidence-based with AI ( LGiU). ). On the other hand, institutions like the Council of Europe and the Brennan Center warn that AI-supported manipulation of public opinion can distort democratic processes, for example, if artificially generated comments appear as the “voice of the citizen.”

Research refers to this as “assisted democracy”: models where AI helps citizens understand complex votes and pre-structure proposals could make direct democracy more attractive, for example, in Switzerland or at the municipal level ( KOF Institut). ). At the same time, experts warn against outsourcing one's own judgment to personal “political agents” who prepare votes or give participation recommendations in the name of the citizens ( AI Frontiers).

In short: “AI Politics” becomes constructive where AI increases transparency, empowers citizens, and makes decisions more understandable – and risky where it is used opaquely, manipulatively, or without control.

Impact & Recommendations for Action

For you personally, “AI Politics” primarily means one thing: the information environment is becoming denser, faster, and more inconsistent – and AI is a driver of this development. At the same time, tools are available to help you better understand what is happening politically.

Practically, this means:

• If you see political content that seems extremely emotional or perfectly tailored to your own fears and hopes, a second look is worthwhile. Many regulations now require labeling if content is political or if AI was used in its creation; nevertheless, such labels are not always visible or consistently implemented ( European Commission, EU Artificial Intelligence Act).
• Three simple steps, repeatedly emphasized by media literacy initiatives and technology providers, help with classification: check the source, check the context, check the motive. Official election authorities, established media, and independent fact-checking initiatives are important points of contact if content appears surprising or shocking ( OSCE, Microsoft).

Source: user-added

AI transforms political communication: From static messages to personalized and dynamic interactions.

For organizations, administrations, or civil society groups, AI can mean that their citizen dialogue becomes more inclusive and accessible – for example, through chatbots that answer questions about votes, or tools that cluster and structure citizen comments ( The Good Lobby, OECD).

The most important competence in the coming years will probably not be understanding every AI technology in detail, but systematically distinguishing between reliable and doubtful information. This includes reflecting on one's own prejudices and consciously reading sources that do not immediately confirm one's own opinion ( International IDEA).

Open Questions & Conclusion

Despite increasing regulation and research, many questions remain open. Little empirical evidence is yet available on how strongly AI-generated disinformation changes voter turnout, trust in institutions, or the stability of political systems in the long term ( GOV.UK).

It is also unclear to what extent personalized “political agents” – i.e., AI systems that learn your preferences and make suggestions for votes or candidates – would change our democratic culture. Some analyses see this as an opportunity for more representative politics, while others warn of alienation and overloading of institutions ( AI Frontiers).

Regulatorily, it remains to be seen whether EU AI Act, DSA and the political advertising regulation will become global models or lead to fragmentation if other regions take different paths ( eucrim.eu).

Furthermore, the question arises of what fair participation looks like when powerful AI systems are predominantly developed in a few, often private-sector, centers, while democratic institutions are only building up their capacities ( Brennan Center for Justice).

Last but not least, it remains open how technical protection mechanisms – for example, watermarks or standards like Content Credentials – will prove themselves in practice as long as platforms do not consistently display them and deepfake detection is still error-prone ( The Verge).

„AI Politics“ will bring neither the end of democracy nor its automatic salvation. Artificial intelligence amplifies patterns that already exist: campaigns fighting for attention, platforms optimizing reach, and institutions trying to catch up with rules.

For you as a citizen, the key lies in consciously utilizing AI-supported politics instead of being at its mercy: checking information, seeking a variety of sources, taking advantage of participation opportunities – and critically observing how laws, platform rules, and technical standards are further developed ( International IDEA, European Parliament). Thus, a space can emerge from the connection between AI and politics in which technology supports democratic processes instead of undermining them.