CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — AI generated information, fake images or even fake audio in political ads. It's something that could have you questioning which political material is real and which isn't.
3NEWS political analyst Dr. Bill Chriss said while AI could be helpful for a candidate come up with good language, or a catchy tag line, the problem is that many of these AI apps are not 100-percent accurate.
"It's certainly cheaper than writing a full time speech writer, to use AI and see what happens," Chriss said "What I could see is situations where people are caught using AI or it becomes clear someone's speech got written from artificial intelligence, or that material was borrowed, rather than coming from the candidates own mind."
Aside from the embarrassment it might cause, candidates who use AI will need to be careful they don't say something that isn't true.
"Just as a human being I have questions or concerns about AI just because it's part of the post modern picture of telling the difference between what's real and what's not real," he said.
The political expert compared it to going on a dating app.
"You'll see pictures of people, there's filters, you go meet for coffee and you're like 'who is this person? You don't look anything like your pictures,'" Chriss said.
Then there are the ethical concerns.
Nueces County Democratic Party Chair Rene Saenz sees the pros and cons of using AI generated campaign material. However, for him, the bad seems to out weigh the good.
"You can create an image of a politician that's fake and people are going to believe it, and that is the sad part of politics today, the fakeness of it," Saenz said. "Especially from writing, imagery, there's a positive side to it, but overall I think it's very fake."
While AI might help a person look good on paper, Saenz said you can't fake a debate.
"Intelligence is earned and something a person acquires by going out and seeking out knowledge itself, me personally I myself never use it at all," he said.
You might be surprised to learn there are currently no laws that keep political candidates from using AI generated content in their material they put out to the public.
However that could change.
A bill has been introduced to congress that would prohibit the distribution of deceptive AI generated content from candidates in federal office.
We'll keep you updated.
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