In both India and Indonesia, deceased leaders are making a comeback to express their support for their political successors. Rapper Eminem is endorsing opposition parties in South Africa, while in the United States, President Biden is encouraging voters in New Hampshire to stay home. Although these events have "occurred, " none of them are actually real. The rise of generative AI is revolutionizing the political landscape and will have a significant impact on elections. Welcome to 2024, and welcome to the future. For the first time ever, the widespread availability of generative AI will intersect with political campaigns and elections. The year 2024 is already extraordinary for democracy as it will witness over 2 billion people— the largest number ever— participating in national, local, and regional elections in more than 60 countries. Now, the global electorate must confront this new technology. Deepfakes can be deployed for various purposes, ranging from sabotage and satire to seemingly ordinary applications. We have already witnessed AI chatbots crafting speeches and responding to inquiries regarding a candidate's policies.

However, AI has also been utilized to humiliate female politicians and manipulate world leaders into appearing to endorse dubious passive-income schemes. Bots have been unleashed, and automated texts have been tailored to target voters. Experts acknowledge that generative AI is on the cusp of transforming the information landscape. However, we are still unraveling the precise implications of this transformation. Issues that have long plagued tech platforms, such as the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and content that promotes scams or hatred, are likely to be exacerbated, despite the safeguards that companies claim to have implemented. To comprehend how generative AI is entering and reshaping the political and information landscape, we are meticulously monitoring its use worldwide throughout the year. Here is what we are doing: The list and map provided will be continually updated throughout 2024. The map illustrates the countries in which we have identified instances of generative AI being employed in elections, along with the frequency of those occurrences. Further details regarding each specific occurrence, including the timeline and nature of the event, can be found on the individual cards. Additionally, we will keep track of the companies, tools, and platforms involved in each example.