Is AI a threat to democracy?

+ why we prefer spontaneity in entertainment US Edition - Today's top story: How AI could take over elections – and undermine democracy [View in browser]( US Edition | 2 June 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Judicial scandals are challenging legitimacy of judges]( - [Got a good credit score? 2 finance experts explain why]( - [Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro ring a bell? Take the quiz!]( Lead story There’s been no shortage of news about how AI language models can influence people’s behavior, spread misinformation and sow confusion about what’s real and what isn’t. But it can be difficult to picture what those dangers might look like in the real world. Harvard Kennedy School political scientist Archon Fung and Harvard legal scholar Lawrence Lessig [paint a chilling scenario]( of a plausible AI system in the hands of a presidential candidate’s campaign. They describe how the hypothetical campaign messaging machine would be able to target millions of people individually and adjust its approach to each person over the course of the campaign, all with the singular goal of changing your voting behavior – including even convincing you not to vote at all. [[Sign up here for our Understanding AI series – four emails delivered over the course of a week.](] Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor An AI-driven political campaign could be all things to all people. Eric Smalley, TCUS; Biodiversity Heritage Library/Flickr; Taymaz Valley/Flickr [How AI could take over elections – and undermine democracy]( Archon Fung, Harvard Kennedy School; Lawrence Lessig, Harvard University Artificial intelligence looks like a political campaign manager’s dream because it could tune its persuasion efforts to millions of people individually – but it could be a nightmare for democracy. Politics + Society - [Judging the judges: Scandals have the potential to affect the legitimacy of judges – and possibly the federal judiciary, too]( Ali S. Masood, Oberlin College and Conservatory; Benjamin J. Kassow, University of North Dakota; David Miller, East Tennessee State University; Joshua Boston, Bowling Green State University Courts have no army or police force to enforce their decisions. Their power rests on their legitimacy in the public eye. How does scandal affect that? - [Moldova is trying to join the EU, but it will have a hard time breaking away from Russia’s orbit]( Tatsiana Kulakevich, University of South Florida Lack of control over its borders and corruption are two of the issues that could complicate Moldova’s bid to join the EU. Ethics + Religion - [New anti-transgender laws will hurt Indigenous peoples’ rights and religious expression]( Rosalyn R. LaPier, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign An Indigenous scholar writes that Indigenous peoples have historically recognized multiple gender identities, which they believe are a result of divine intervention. Arts + Culture - [The allure of the ad-lib: New research identifies why people prefer spontaneity in entertainment]( Jacqueline Rifkin, Cornell University; Katherine Du, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Audiences love improvised, off-the-cuff entertainment, and new research suggests it’s because spontaneity seems to offer a glimpse of the performer’s authentic self. Economy + Business - [How do credit scores work? 2 finance professors explain how lenders choose who gets loans and at what interest rate]( D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University; Tom Miller Jr., Mississippi State University Trends show credit scores are rising, with nearly half of all US consumers boasting ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ numbers. - [Work requirements don’t work for domestic violence survivors – but Michigan data shows they rarely get waivers they should receive for cash assistance]( Kristina Nikolova, Wayne State University; Andrea Hetling, Rutgers University People who have experienced domestic violence can have trouble finding and keeping jobs because of physical injuries and their abusers’ efforts to sabotage their employment. Education - [How teachers can stay true to history without breaking new laws that restrict what they can teach about racism]( W. Fitzhugh Brundage, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A history scholar sees leeway and loopholes in a wave of new state laws that seek to control what teachers can say about racism in America’s past. Podcast 🎙️ - [Governments and environmental groups are turning to international courts to address the impacts of climate change]( Daniel Merino, The Conversation; Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation Governments and activist groups are bringing environmental issues to international courts. They argue that the impact of climate change and environmental issues affect human rights. From our international editions - [Cycling could be a boon for Lagos – but people fear for their safety on bikes]( - [Mr. Associated Press: How 20th-century journalism titan Kent Cooper transformed the news industry]( - [Why does my dog eat grass? And when is it not safe for them?]( The Conversation Quiz 🧠- Here’s the second question of [this week’s edition (because the first question contains a Succession spoiler):]( Which of these points was NOT included in the debt limit deal passed by the House of Representatives on May 31? - A. Military spending reduced until 2025 - B. Debt limit suspended until 2025 - C. Unspent COVID-19 funds clawed back for other uses - D. Gas pipeline permitting rules eased [Test your knowledge]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? Follow us: • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [Instagram]( • [LinkedIn]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](