ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ISSUES FREE GUIDE TO PROTECT VOTERS FROM AI-GENERATED ELECTION MISINFORMATION

September 25, 2024

Raoul Encourages Voters to Visit Website for 2024 Voter Misinformation Guide; Offers Tips to Detect and Report Fake AI Election Content

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today released a 2024 Voter Misinformation Guide to help Illinois voters identify and report election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence (AI), which is increasingly being used to create fake but realistic content about the November election and its candidates.

Raoul explained the AI-generated content can include misleading videos, images or audio that can impersonate people or candidates, which cause confusion or even dissuade people from voting.

"The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans, and voters deserve to have accurate information about the important choices they make on their ballots," Raoul said. "As the general election draws nearer, I'm reminding Illinoisans to be vigilant about election misinformation and election-related financial fraud. Don't let scammers steal your vote, your identity or your hard-earned dollars. Use reliable sources to educate yourself on your ballot choices and make your plan to vote."

AI-generated election misinformation is deployed through social media platforms, robocalls, text messages and chatbots that can quickly spread false information. For instance, fake, AI-generated audio of political candidates has been used in attempts to deter voters around the country from going to the polls in previous elections. AI-generated pictures falsely depicting celebrities endorsing or condemning a particular political candidate or cause are also shared widely across social media.

Raoul's Voter Misinformation Guide offers tips for spotting AI-generated content and urges voters to protect themselves from election misinformation with these tips:

• Know the basics about elections in Illinois and have your own plan to vote. Consult the Illinois State Board of Elections (SBE) and local boards of elections for information and answers to questions about where, when or how to vote, as well as your voter registration status. The League of Women Voters of Illinois has a list of useful election facts and offers other resources to avoid election misinformation and misinformation.
• Verify election information with official sources. If you receive a phone call or text message with information about voting or elections, be mindful that the information may be inaccurate or fake. Double check information independently with the SBE.
• Do not rely on chatbots or search engine AI to answer questions about elections or voting. These sources can accidentally generate misinformation by incorporating errors as they compile information from multiple online sources.
• Be skeptical of images, audio, videos and articles circulating online that elicit a strong emotional reaction. If you see incendiary, sensational or surprising content about the elections or candidates, be especially cautious. Check to see if the information is being reported by legitimate news outlets or being shared by the subject of the post or the supposed source of the information.
• Report misinformation. If you encounter content on social media that you suspect is a deepfake, report it on the platform. Report misinformation about the election process, such as inaccurate times or locations, to the SBE through its website.
• Stop the spread of misinformation. Do not share or engage with content that you have not verified to be real and accurate. Even liking or reacting to a post can boost the number of people who will see potentially false information.
• Do not rely on AI disclaimers or AI-detecting software. Although some online platforms require disclosures that content is AI-generated, these requirements are often not followed, and AI-generated content frequently lacks these disclosures. There are tools for detecting AI-generated content, but they are not consistently accurate.
• Avoid typical tactics used by scammers that may be disguised as communication about campaigns or the election. Do not click links in unsolicited text messages or emails from unknown sources. If an email or text appears to be from a known source, verify it before clicking links. Find out more about avoiding common election scams in this guide from the AARP. If you believe you have been the victim of identity theft or financial fraud file a complaint on the Attorney General's website.
• Register to vote through trusted sources, such as the SBE's Online Voter Application or the Illinois Secretary of State Motor Voter Registration service at DMV facilities. Learn more about avoiding voter registration scams in this consumer alert from the Federal Trade Commission.
• If you see something on Election Day report it. The Attorney General's office provides teams of monitors on the day of the election to ensure that voters' rights are protected, and polling places are accessible. Voters who feel their voting rights have been violated or who have witnessed concerning behavior should report it to the Attorney General's office or local law enforcement.

For more information, please visit Attorney General Raoul's website.