In 2016, a congregant of the church I served shared a social media post that appeared to show election tampering. His post included an irate response to what he believed was the theft of a fair election, and his anger was justified. In the hours that followed, he discovered that the image turned out to be an altered image that was intended to deceive voters.
While the church member eventually removed his post, the national conversation about social media and election integrity had only begun.
As America approaches the next election, citizens are already facing deceptive images and unsubstantiated claims, but it is no longer limited to out-of-context videos and distorted images.
One of the greatest threats to election integrity is now AI-generated or manipulated images, videos, and audio, and Americans are being forced to question what is real and what is deception. As truth becomes more difficult to discern and trust begins to erode, every American will be faced with potential cynicism and hard questions about the integrity of their cherished vote.
Can AI erode the trust of Americans in the upcoming elections? It is not unprecedented. Leading up to the 2024 elections, 3 out of 4 voters did not trust their ability to identify AI-generated images. The only thing that has changed with regard to AI since that time is the rapid improvement in AI deepfake quality.
AI deepfakes and their impact on election integrity are not only bipartisan; it also appeals to people across the faith spectrum, and it could be argued that people of faith should lead the way in discerning truth amid the lies.
Truth is foundational to the teaching and character of Jesus (John 14:6, John 8:32). As His followers, Christians are taught to become more like Jesus, and as we do so, truth should be something that we seek. In his theological letter to the Ephesian church, the Apostle Paul highlighted the importance of not just discovering truth, but also sharing truth: “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” Ephesians 4:25).
Finally, Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), and to do so, we must bring light into dark places, including truth into places of deception. Have Christians always gotten this right? No, but that should not stop us from pursuing it today, tomorrow, and in this upcoming election.
The Washington Post published a story regarding their own efforts to test the potential impact of AI and election integrity, and they noted that, “when it comes to election-related deepfakes. When prompted, the chatbots fabricated photorealistic imagery of election fraud that in some cases included fake or falsified government documents.” And when asked if AI can be the truth detector when it comes to deepfakes, “the chatbots also could not reliably identify imagery as AI-generated.”
Truth is as difficult as ever to discern, but the endeavor of identifying truth has perhaps never been more important. Not because of a specific issue or candidate, but because truth itself is on the ballot. And Americans cannot allow bad actors using artificial intelligence with the selfish intent of manipulating millions of voters for their own gain to win this election.
For faithful followers who want to see fair elections for years to come, humans must become truth detectors and amplifiers. While no one person can prevent AI deepfakes from circulating, people can refuse to share them. Everyone can do their own homework and detect the truth from deception. Most importantly, when a candidate, regardless of your preference, uses artificial intelligence in a malicious way, bring the truth to light.