Artificial intelligence may sound remote, but it has already had a sweeping impact on everyday life, and politics is no exception.
From Mexico to the UK and as far as Indonesia, analysts have identified and tracked the activities of thousands – sometimes millions – of fake bot accounts that spread disinformation about some candidates, while slavishly endorsing others.
Such is the extent of disinformation that honest social media users, even those ‘in the know’, can struggle to identify if a profile is real or not. This has certainly posed a problem in Venezuela where the next global election will take place on July 28th. As the political opposition seeks to dislodge the incumbent government, it is using every weapon in its armoury – regardless of their moral merit – to snatch an unexpected victory.
Social media comments directly impact political opinions according to research conducted by the University of Georgia. A recent study found that people will ‘echo’ sentiments expressed by anonymous strangers, even if the source is unverified. UoG found that bad actors have been using comment sections to poison public opinion since as early as 2016. In the US elections of 2020, among online supporters of the ‘Qanon’ conspiracy theory, bots had a prevalence of close to 10% of total activity. The lesson? Do not believe everything you read online.
As mentioned, the election in Venezuela is proving to be a breeding ground for similar disinformation tactics. From a quick scan through X (formerly Twitter), an account called @yrenejoy8 – for example – seems fairly inconspicuous. She has 78 followers and she espouses her thoughts on her feed. A closer investigation reveals that Yrene, as the account holder pitches themselves, is not a real person. Indeed, the feed of ‘Yrene’ is entirely political, dedicated to attacking government spokespeople and congratulating opposition candidates on their campaigns.
Unfortunately, ‘Yrene’ is just one of thousands of accounts – likely coordinated by an expert group or agency – that are seeking to influence the outcome of Venezuela’s election. As a collective, the purpose of this ‘bot army’ is to turn Venezuelans against the incumbent – often by dramatising what they perceive to be failures, or by dressing up positive aspects of the opposition’s policy agenda. There must surely be agreement that while hostility is part of politics, fraudulence is unacceptable.
And yet, there is a chance that some will succumb to the sentiments expounded by ‘Yrene’, even though the incumbent government is widely expected to win. International observers will have to hope that all candidates are judged on their real-world merits, not the ramblings of online armies. It is also incumbent on voters to recognise the forces at work on social media, and push themselves to better understand who is foe and who is friend.
