How AI-Generated Misinformation Threatens Election Integrity
Ask students: What companies say they have committed to "limiting misleading AI content on their platforms"? How have political campaigns been using AI already in the past year?
From robocalls to deep fakes, artificial intelligence is already playing a role in the 2024 election. Last week the Federal Communications Commission made AI-generated voice calls illegal. Laura Barrón-López has been covering AI’s impact on the upcoming election and discussed the latest with Amna Nawaz.
View the transcript of the story.
Discussion Questions
- What companies say they have committed to "limiting misleading AI content on their platforms"?
- Why did the Federal Communications Commission rule that robocalls (automated political ads over the phone) that used AI content were illegal?
- How have political campaigns been using AI already in the past year?
- What are some of the ways AI might be used in the coming election to confuse or misinform voters?
- Who might have more difficult jobs because of AI, according to expert Katie Reisner?
Focus Questions
What do you think is the greatest threat posed by AI against free and fair elections? What do you think is the best way to address that threat?
Media literacy: Who else would you want to hear from to better understand how AI will affect U.S. elections (and elections around the world)?
Extension Activity
In this story, correspondent Laura Barrón-López suggests that if you suspect a source online might be fake, to look to see if you can find confirming information from another source. This is a strategy known as "lateral reading." To learn more about lateral reading, watch the following video from MediaWise's Teen Fact-Checking Network.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
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