Archive · 17 Nov 2025
AI's Rising Influence in Elections: From TikTok to Personalized News
TikTok helped elect a socialist in New York City, showing how new technology can influence elections.
Now, AI is making news personal for each person, learning what we like and giving us only that.
This could help campaigns talk to voters in a new way, but some people worry AI news might not be true or fair.
It's like having a personal news helper, but it might also know a lot about you, which could be used to try and influence who you vote for.
TikTok played a significant role in electing a socialist in New York City's mayoral primary.
AI-driven news personalization could reshape political campaigning and voter influence.
AI news-generation tools face accuracy and bias issues, raising concerns about their reliability.
ChatGPT Pulse offers personalized daily news digests based on user data, raising privacy and influence concerns.
Campaigns may use AI to target voters based on their interests and beliefs, potentially influencing elections.
- Who
- Political campaigns, voters, and technology companies
- What
- Explores the impact of technology, particularly AI, on elections and news consumption
- When
- Historical evolution from 1992 to present, with AI's mainstream adoption predicted by November 2028
- Where
- Primarily the United States, with mentions of New York City and California
- Why
- Technology's continuous influence on how candidates reach voters and how voters consume information
Skeptics
Proponents
Effectiveness of New Media in Elections
Skeptics
New technologies might not be as effective as claimed, and traditional methods still hold importance.
Proponents
New technologies significantly influence elections and will continue to shape outcomes.
Accuracy and Bias of AI in News Consumption
Skeptics
AI news sources can have significant accuracy issues and biases, making them unreliable.
Proponents
AI will become a dominant way for people to consume information, even if initial concerns about accuracy exist.
- TikTok News Consumption
- Almost half of 18- to 29-year-olds and 1 in 4 of 30- to 49-year-olds regularly get news on TikTok
- AI Accuracy Issues
- 45% of AI answers had at least one significant issue, with 20% containing major accuracy issues (European Broadcasting Union research)
- ChatGPT Pulse Availability
- Currently available to those paying for the $200-a-month Pro tier
- Predicted AI Offering
- Every AI chatbot service will have a Pulse-like offering by November 2028, possibly free