Democracies are grappling with a new threat supercharged by AI.
Reporting from Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany, independent journalist Nica Hanopol unpacks the rise of “malicious AI swarms.” They are opaque, personalised, and cross-platform, making it harder to detect. In this episode, she explores how these networks could fabricate consensus during elections and undermine people’s right to form their own opinions free from interference.
It features insights from UN OHCHR Digital Technologies and Human Rights Chief Wafa Ben-Hassine; SINTEF Digital Researcher Daniel Schroeder; Monash Data and Democracy Research Hub Co-Director Ika Idris; and National Democratic Institute Deputy Director of Elections Julia Brothers.
To learn more about this issue, read the research paper here: “How malicious AI swarms can threaten democracy”