Deepfake Democracy: AI Technology Complicates Election Security

The report assesses how generative AI is amplifying election-related threats, including deepfake-enabled disinformation, coordinated inauthentic behavior, and more convincing phishing/social engineering at scale, lowering barriers for both criminal and state-backed actors. Experts warn of microtargeted influence operations, the erosion of platform safeguards, and the potential for widespread polarization, while recommending content control teams, staff training on deepfakes and social engineering across channels, cautious information sharing, and regulatory measures like watermarking and recent FCC actions against AI-generated robocalls.