PartyParty Attends is our signature series where we immerse ourselves in the political arena’s most dynamic discussions. We bring you the inside story from political professionals throughout Europe as if you were sitting in the front row of these events.
Our recent foray was into the heart of AI’s intersection with politics, led by PartyParty’s founder, Josef Lentsch. The panel featured Tim Gordon, (Partner, Best Practice AI), Tomas Halasz (Co-Founder, Trollwall AI) and Katrien Van den Broeck (Senior Comm. Advisor to the Belgian Prime Minister), who each brought a nuanced perspective to the table on AI’s inevitable tide in politics.
We’ve summarised the event below, but feel free to watch the video here:
Do we need AI in politics?
Tim Gordon set the stage with a bold prediction: within the near future, AI will assist or generate up to 95% of political content. The experts argued that while AI integration is in its infancy, its full-scale adoption is inevitable. If you’re not using AI in politics, you’ll lose elections, simply put. However, they cautioned that using AI won’t be the golden ticket to political victory—it’s all about leveraging data effectively.
Tomas Halasz added a strategic angle, advocating for preemptive measures against the imminent wave of deep fakes. He underscored the urgency for political parties to adopt social listening to differentiate between authentic communication and potential misinformation.
Tomas Halasz, (Co-Founder, Trollwall AI)
Who will benefit the most from AI in politics?
Addressing the question of benefit, Lentsch summarised that while AI is necessary, it is no magic solution. So who will benefit – and how? Those who leverage data strategically will be the true differentiators when using AI
Katrien Van den broeck focused on the democratising power of AI in content creation. She highlighted how AI empowers smaller parties to flood the market with tailored messages, levelling the playing field against larger political entities. However, she also noted that right-wing groups were adept in utilising AI for micro-targeting, raising questions about the balance of power.
Tim Gordon addressed AI’s scalability, emphasising the need for robust databases to ensure that AI’s potential is harnessed to deliver impactful messages at scale. He asked who would emerge as the most proficient political figure in the age of AI, in the same way that Donald Trump dominated the Twitter era. That is still unknown, but he predicted that such a winner would appear and we should stay alert.
Tim Gordon, (Partner, Best Practice AI), and Katrien Van den broeck (Senior Comm. Advisor to the Belgian Prime Minister)
Halasz pointed to smaller parties as the primary potential beneficiaries, noting that despite the high costs, the ability to spread their message could be greatly amplified by AI. Van den broeck concurred, adding that the benefit extends to creating highly targeted content that can make even the smallest party a formidable force in elections.
Will AI cause more disruptions in the political sphere?
When discussing AI’s disruptive potential, Lentsch suggested that those who effectively harness AI will find themselves ahead, fundamentally altering the power balance in political campaigns.
Gordon spoke to the dual-edged nature of AI: while it can yield significant returns, there’s an inherent risk factor. The real advantage lay with those who balanced AI’s potential with responsible usage, he said. Right-wing parties who are not typically risk-averse in their communication strategies may be fine with the margin of error that comes with using AI, but well-established parties or those more in the political centre would need to cross-check, cross-reference, and ensure the accuracy of all AI usage data.
Echoing this sentiment, Van den broeck expressed concern over algorithms favouring more extreme messaging, potentially skewing the political discourse. She advocated for a cautious approach to using AI to spread political content.
How will AI be deployed in campaigns?
All three panellists offered insights into AI deployment, emphasising the need for transparency. Gordon spoke of a future where AI’s role in politics is as natural as social media is today, stressing the need for ethical considerations in its application. One suggestion was to watermark or tag content generated by AI and chatbots to foster transparency and trust among the public.
Halasz envisioned a landscape in which AI created sophisticated ads and content, but also distorted the political discourse with deep fakes. Clear labelling of AI-generated materials could maintain integrity in political messaging.
Van den broeck added that beyond creating content, AI would also be crucial for optimising it, using techniques like heat maps to ensure messages resonate with the intended audience. The sentiment for transparency echoed here as well, with a suggestion that such techniques should be disclosed to maintain an honest dialogue with the electorate.
The strategic imperative of managed AI in politics
This “PartyParty Attends” session not only unpacked the hows and whys of AI in politics but also laid bare the strategic imperatives for political entities. As AI continues to penetrate the political fabric, it brings both promise and peril, with the scales tipping based on how adeptly it’s wielded.