What to watch for as AI fuels political deceptions

+ Justice John Roberts' varied views on race US Edition - Today's top story: 6 ways AI can make political campaigns more deceptive than ever [View in browser]( US Edition | 27 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( As a longtime reporter covering government and politics, I count among my great heroes the journalist I.F. Stone. I revered him not just for his great accountability reporting on the federal government, but for his attitude, as a skeptic covering political power, that “all governments lie.” Lots of politicians lie, too – and not just George Santos. Many tell small lies, inflating their role in passing popular legislation; others tell big lies, like touting a wartime military award they never got. And with the advent of AI, writes political communications scholar David Clementson, those lies can be very effectively propagated or enhanced. “Political campaign ads and donor solicitations have long been deceptive,” writes Clementson, who literally teaches a course on political deception. “[Plenty of horrifying things]( could happen as campaigns deploy AI,” he says in a story that describes both what this deception might look like and how you, as a politics consumer, “can be equipped with what to expect and what to watch out for, and learn to be more skeptical, as the U.S. heads into the next presidential campaign.” Naomi Schalit Democracy Editor There are real fears that AI will make politics more deceptive than it already is. Westend61/Getty Images [6 ways AI can make political campaigns more deceptive than ever]( David E. Clementson, University of Georgia Politicians and their campaigns use a lot of methods, including manipulation and deception, to persuade you to vote for them and give them money. AI promises to make those attempts more effective. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attends the State of the Union address on Feb. 7, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images [Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts uses conflicting views of race to resolve America’s history of racial discrimination]( Henry L. Chambers Jr., University of Richmond Two Supreme Court rulings on the use of race appear at odds with each other. Blame Chief Justice Roberts’s ambivalence on race, a constitutional law scholar writes. Rudy Giuliani admits to lying but says the Constitution protects him. 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[Federal government is challenging Texas’s buoys in the Rio Grande – here’s why these kinds of border blockades wind up complicating immigration enforcement]( Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California Setting up buoys in a section of the Rio Grande is more likely to result in migrants seeking pathways elsewhere, rather than deterring migration altogether. [The Taylor Swift Official State Sandwich: Politicians understand that Swifties are a key demographic]( Matt Harris, Park University Pittsburgh’s mayor renamed the city ‘Swiftsburgh’ when the singer’s tour hit town. He’s not the only politician publicly fawning over the star. - [Alabama is not the first state to defy a Supreme Court ruling: 3 essential reads on why that matters]( Howard Manly, The Conversation As a powerful branch of government, the Supreme Court has enormous power over public policy only if defendants comply with its rulings. - [Sen. Tuberville’s blockade of US military promotions takes a historic tradition to a radical new level – and could go beyond Congress’ August break]( Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State University Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is using a long-standing Senate practice to block military promotions. - [I asked immigrants from 28 countries why they’re serving in the US military – and it’s not primarily to gain citizenship]( Sofya Aptekar, City University of New York Though many immigrants join the US military to gain citizenship, other factors such as poverty and sense of belonging also contribute to their decisions. - [Israel: unpopular judicial reform involves repeal of law set up under British colonial rule in Palestine – here’s what that tells us]( Anne Irfan, UCL The state of Israel was partly built on principles established by the British empire. It has just struck down the law that underpinned democracy in the country. Like this newsletter? 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