AI hysteria is a distraction: algorithms already sow disinformation in Africa

Forget AI doomerism' hype over ChatGPT, big tech's colonial attitude lets hateful electoral propaganda be fed to millions

More than 70 countries are due to hold regional or national elections by the end of 2024. It will be a period of huge political significance across the globe, with more than 2 billion people (mostly from the global south) directly affected by the outcome of these elections. The stakes for the integrity of democracy have never been higher.

As concerns mount about the influential role of information pollution, disseminated through the vast platforms of US and Chinese corporations, in shaping these elections, a new shadow looms: how artificial intelligence - more specifically, generative AI such as OpenAI's ChatGPT - has increasingly moved into the mainstream of technology.