--- title: "Sam Altman Fears AI’s Effect on Elections" description: "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to Twitter to express his concern that AI might meddle with elections and the democratic process." date: "2023-08-06" modified: "2023-08-06" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sam-altman-ai-elections" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "2024 election" - "ai" - "misinformation" - "the digest" --- # Sam Altman Fears AI’s Effect on Elections ![OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to Twitter to express his concern that AI might meddle with elections and the democratic process.]() *WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Samuel Altman, CEO of OpenAI, appears for testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law May 16, 2023 in Washington, DC. The committee held an oversight hearing to examine A.I., focusing on rules for artificial intelligence. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) \Image: Win McNamee via Getty Images\* ## Election Meddling Once again, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — whose November launch of the popular chatbot ChatGPT arguably kicked off the widespread public adoption of generative AI technology — is [worried]() about the [impacts of the technology]() that [he's actively working to build](). This time, he's concerned about the potentially destructive effects that generative AI tools may have on the democratic process, arguing that high-quality and hyper-targeted synthetic media stand to be a powerful and potentially damaging force in future elections — a fear that's already been raised by a number of [experts]() and [industry leaders](). "I am nervous about the impact AI is going to have on future elections (at least until everyone gets used to it)," Altman [wrote in an X-formerly-Twitter post]() on Thursday, "personalized 1:1 persuasion, combined with high-quality generated media, is going to be a powerful force." ## Point Taken It's a fair concern. AI-generated media has already been used in multiple American campaign ads related to the 2024 election, most notably by the likes of the Republican National Committee and the campaign of presidential hopeful Ron Desantis, which used AI tools to generate fake images of an [imagined China-US invasion]() and President Joe Biden [smooching former US pandemic response figurehead Anthony Fauci](), respectively. AI-spun misinformation has also already proved itself to be pretty convincing. Though it was quickly debunked as fake news, a [likely AI-generated photo of a bombing nearby the Pentagon](), for instance, caused a brief but notable dip in the stock market after going viral on Twitter in May. And back in June, synthetic images of [demonic children's clothes at Target]() sent far-right social media groups spiraling into a culture war tizzy — an incident that seems to speak to Altman's warning about personalized persuasion. People tend to seek out information that [confirms what they already believe](); with the right prompt and the right platform, it might be relatively easy to suck certain ideological groups into synthetic misinformation traps. Of course, considering that Altman is *profiting* off the tools he [regularly warns are dangerous](), it's sometimes [hard to take him seriously]() when he talks about AI risks, even when he's objectively correct to worry. But as [he's said himself in the past](), it's probably better that he harbors some fear towards his creations, rather than ignore any risks outright. "although not a complete solution, raising awareness of it is better than nothing," he wrote in that Thursday thread on X. "we are curious to hear ideas, and will have some events soon to discuss more." **More on Sam Altman:** [*OpenAI CEO Hopeful World Leaders Will Save Us From AI He's Building*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()