How AI-generated misinformation threatens election integrity

SUMMARY

From robocalls to deep fakes, artificial intelligence is already playing a role in the 2024 election. Last week the Federal Communications Commission made AI-generated voice calls illegal. Laura Barrón-López has been covering AI’s impact on the upcoming election and discussed the latest with Amna Nawaz.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM UP QUESTIONS

What companies say they have committed to "limiting misleading AI content on their platforms"?

Why did the Federal Communications Commission rule that robocalls ( =automated political ads over the phone) that used AI content were illegal?

How have political campaigns been using AI already in the past year?

What are some of the ways AI might be used in the coming election to confuse or misinform voters?

Who might have more difficult jobs because of AI, according to expert Katie Reisner?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What do you think is the greatest threat posed by AI against free and fair elections? What do you think is the best way to address that threat?

Media literacy: Who else would you want to hear from to better understand how AI will affect U.S. elections (and elections around the world)?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to find out more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do: In this story, correspondent Laura Barrón-López suggests that if you suspect a source online might be fake, to look to see if you can find confirming information from another source. This is a strategy known as "lateral reading." To learn more about lateral reading, watch the following video from MediaWise's Teen Fact-Checking Network.

Teachers: You can find full lesson plans on navigating misinformation in this collection of media literacy lessons!

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each week.

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