By Sunita Dudani
A study carried by David Rand at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his colleagues revealed that AI chatbots and other AI tools can influence voter attitudes. These tools were proved to be more persuasive than traditional political campaign tools including advertisements and pamphlets and as persuasive as seasoned political campaigns.
Role of AI in Municipal Corporation elections 2026
As Mumbai prepares for its 15th Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on January 15, using AI, creativity and social media the parties appear to be engaged in a digital war to connect with young voters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to be far ahead of its rivals as a campaign inspired by Marvel superheroes managed to grab the attention and imagination of Mumbai’s youth.
Another video showing popular characters such as Thanos, Iron Man and Hulk as ‘candidates’ of Congress, BJP and Shinde-led Sena has taken over social media.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTIn8QqkXGn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Such content may blur the line between satire, entertainment and political messaging. Without clear labelling, voters may struggle to distinguish between fictional representation and real political performance, raising concerns about manipulation, misinformation and the ethical use of AI in democratic processes, particularly in high stakes elections like the BMC polls.
Role of Lok Sabha elections
The 2024 Indian general election served as a testing ground for the use of Gen AI in electioneering practices. Gen AI offered significant avenues for innovation in campaign outreach, including the creation of customised political messaging to improve representation and the opportunity to digitally connect with remote communities, but usage of Gen AI also raised some serious concerns.
On May 28, 2024, an AI-generated voice clone video of news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary predicting a win for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from West Delhi, Mahabal Mishra was posted on social media. The video spread widely during the 2024 general election, it also included fake graphics of an exit poll in the background without an AI disclaimer. Additionally, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers released two AI generated voice clones featuring the messages of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal while he was in jail.
The rapid rise of AI generated misinformation through deepfakes, voice cloning and lip sync videos poses a serious threat to electoral integrity. Deepfake content featuring political leaders, news anchors and celebrities can empower deception by spreading false and divisive narratives, exploiting the public trust these figures command. In several cases, such misuse has gone beyond political smear campaigns to inflame existing religious and social divisions.
Thus, the vulnerabilities revealed by AI in this election have far reaching implications for the future of India’s electoral landscape. The employment of deepfake to impersonate prominent figures or disseminate divisive materials holds immense potential to further existing sectarian tensions or exacerbate communal fault lines. In a country where political rhetoric often assumes communal and caste tones, AI holds the potential to amplify the spread of divisive messaging, deepen polarization and risk public order and safety.
Moreover, political parties proactively taking initiatives to collect detailed information about their constituents raises critical questions about the privacy of individuals. This unauthorised use of personal data could facilitate targeted manipulation, voter profiling or even identity theft.