Getting campaign text messages ahead of midterms? There could be an AI bot behind it
Political campaigns are increasingly using AI-powered bots to send personalized text messages and gather voter data ahead of elections. While some see this as a way to make campaigns more responsive, others question the effectiveness and annoyance factor of automated political outreach.
Why it matters
The integration of generative AI into political campaigning raises significant questions about voter privacy, data collection, and the future of political discourse.
Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly .
AI-powered platforms are training bots to sound like political candidates in text messages, holding personalized conversations with thousands of potential voters simultaneously. The bots are also gathering data, learning what each voter wants from their representatives and using that information to shape future campaign messaging.
Aaron Sheeks, the CEO of Akillion, an AI platform that lets people run their own Large Language Models or bots, said many of his current clients are running for political office.
Politics AI and tech are trying to influence the midterm elections "Our goal is to put the microphone back in the hand of the voter," said Sheeks. "We're giving agencies and political campaigns the ability to have a trained AI employee that can go back and forth and answer questions on police reform or education or tax changes."
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in