Uncertainty and fear dominate voter sentiment around AI’s impact on election integrity
SAN MATEO, Calif. (October 9, 2024) – Arkose Labs, the global leader in bot management and account security, today announced the findings of its new AI and the U.S. Presidential Election 2024 poll. The report reveals voter sentiment and views on the potential impact of adversarial artificial intelligence (AI) on the upcoming election.
Voters expressed significant concerns about the role of AI in bad actors misdirecting political donations, propagating misinformation and influencing election outcomes.
A resounding 58% of respondents expressed serious concern over AI being used to spread misinformation about presidential candidates through false imagery, videos or audio. Additionally, nearly 3 out of 4 voters believe financially motivated fraudsters are likely using AI to deceive voters into misdirecting their political donations.
Key Findings:
- Election Uncertainty: 51% of respondents described their primary emotion regarding AI and the 2024 election as “uncertain.” Other emotions included fear (12%), stress (7%), aggravation (5%), and feeling overwhelmed (4%).
- AI and Misinformation: Concern about AI spreading false information about candidates remains high, with 29% extremely concerned and another 29% very concerned.
- Age Influencing Perspectives: Respondents ranging from 45-54 and 55-64 were more likely to associate their primary emotion with AI as “uncertain” (58% and 57%, respectively) versus younger respondents ranging 18-24 and 25-34 (34% and 42%, respectively).
- Regional Perceptions: Midwest respondents were more likely to have a higher level of concern about AI being used to spread misinformation (66%) and financially motivated fraudsters using AI to deceive voters into misdirecting political donations (84%).
“Unquestionably, bad actors target big events where they can amplify their exploits. And, not many events are a bigger focal point than our current U.S. presidential election cycle,” said Arkose Labs CFO Frank Teruel. “The game changer this year is the impact of AI, especially generative AI, which is empowering a new breed of bad actors, rapidly exploiting AI’s potential to manipulate elections, spread misinformation, and deceive voters via unsafe donation sites. As November 5th nears, expect a surge in MFA bypass scams, fake accounts, and account takeovers. While bad actors may have the AI advantage now, organizations need to double down on their use of AI to turn the tide by harnessing AI-driven security measures to counter adversarial AI threats effectively.”
To read the full report, please visit this link.
Methodology
Arkose Labs collaborated with nationally recognized market research firm KS&R to conduct the poll titled AI and the U.S. Presidential Election 2024, aimed at adding to the body of knowledge about AI and enhancing understanding of U.S. voters’ sentiment on the potential impact of AI on elections. The poll, conducted between September 12-20, 2024, included 519 likely voters, with a representative mix of political affiliations—Democrats (40%), Republicans (39%), and Independents (21%)—and regions across the U.S., including the South (31%), Northeast (25%), West (24%), and Midwest (20%). Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 64, with a gender split of 54% female and 46% male.
About Arkose Labs
The world’s leading organizations, including two of the top three banks and the largest tech enterprises, trust Arkose Labs to fight online fraud and keep users safe in digital transactions. Our patented Arkose Bot Manager platform detects, traps, and neutralizes bots and bad actors before they can make an impact, without sacrificing the experience of genuine users, and tracks and shares real time, global threat intelligence with our customers. No one else is more proven at scale, provides more proactive support for internal security teams, or outperforms Arkose Labs in sabotaging attackers’ ROI. Our verified customer reviews on G2 reflect the value we add reducing the volume, internal cost, and impact of bot attacks and online fraud. Based in San Mateo, CA, Arkose Labs operates worldwide with offices in Asia, Australia, Central America, EMEA and South America.
Contact:
Jean Creech Avent
Global Head of Brand and Communications
Arkose Labs
+1 843-986-8229
