artificial intelligence is making voter microtargeting faster, cheaper and easier to execute, according to election experts. The practice involves sending highly tailored messages to small groups of voters, including in battleground states, rather than relying only on broad, nationwide advertising.

A brief text message aimed at a specific group can have a stronger impact than a polished campaign advertisement, experts said. It can also be more difficult to counter if the message contains false information. AI tools now support several stages of the process, from creating content to identifying recipients and distributing personalized communications.

Political campaigns are using AI-powered applications to analyze government census information, commodity prices and local voting data. These tools can help campaigns identify characteristics such as voters’ education and employment. They can also generate videos, voter outreach texts and targeted advertisements, while multiple companies now offer AI-based voter targeting services.

Scott Goodstein, who worked on online operations for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, described these highly targeted communications as “messaging missiles.” He said digital tools can now send specific voting instructions to matched voter files, replacing some forms of traditional in-person outreach.

Data analysis became a central part of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Since then, however, the basic practice of microtargeting has changed little, according to election experts. Before the rise of AI, research was mixed on whether targeting political messages increased the number of votes won. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded in 2023 that Political advertising was difficult to microtarget at scale and that the approach was “clearly not mind control.”

Many election experts believe AI alters those limitations. They point to declining public trust, overextended fact-checkers and voters’ growing difficulty in distinguishing reliable information as conditions that could make people more vulnerable to customized appeals. The availability of large amounts of personal data for purchase further expands the potential reach of this strategy.

Sources: The New York Times Business.