Here Come the Synthetic Voters

As the U.S. midterm elections approach, along with elections in Brazil, Israel, and Sweden, AI-powered synthetic voter focus groups are emerging as a potential campaign tool. Laura Karpas investigated this technique, consulting researchers who debate its validity and implications for political leader-public opinion dynamics.

The midterm election cycle is heating up in the United States, and there are important elections set to take place soon in Brazil, Israel, Sweden, and beyond. AI will be a factor in these elections, offering a new set of tools and techniques for campaigns to try to reach voters. Laura Karpas looked into one new technique that campaigns may try this cycle—focus groups among panels of synthetic voters. She spoke to one researcher who has considered the question of when and how such simulated evidence can be used in campaign research, and another who wonders what the implications may be for the complex interaction between political leaders and public opinion.