Europeans don’t trust AI when it comes to elections – survey

The vast majority of Europeans fear artificial intelligence (AI) manipulation in elections but trust the technology when used by police and military for surveillance, according to a new report released on Monday.

The “European Tech Insights” study by IE University in Spain surveyed more than 3,000 people in 10 European countries. 

It found that two in three Europeans (67 per cent) fear hackers could alter election results and that more than 30 per cent of those surveyed believe AI has already influenced their voting decisions.

The countries with citizens who were the least trusting of AI in elections were the United Kingdom (54 per cent) and Spain (51 per cent).

Experts have sounded the alarm over AI misinformation during Europe’s elections. 

An election in Slovakia last year saw AI-generated audio recordings that impersonated a candidate discussing ways to rig the vote. 

“Public concern about the role of AI in shaping elections is growing. While there is no clear evidence yet showing significant shifts in election outcomes, AI has heightened concerns about election disinformation and deepfakes on a global scale,” Carlos Luca de Tena, executive director at the IE Center for the Governance of Change, said in a statement. 

Where Europeans trust AI

Europeans under the age of 35 were more trusting as 34 per cent of them said they would trust an AI-powered app to vote for political candidates on their behalf.

Older generations were less trusting of the technology.

Almost 30 per cent of people aged 35 to 44 said they would trust an AI voting tool, and just 9 per cent of those aged 65 and over said they would trust it.

Meanwhile, some 75 per cent of those surveyed said they support the use of AI for police and military operations such as facial recognition and biometric data.

It comes despite Europe’s strict data rules, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which governs the use and storage of user data. 

However, for sensitive matters such as parole decisions, some 64 per cent of Europeans said they oppose AI.