AI doesn't vote… but it's already influencing those who do

According to a Harris Interactive survey published by Terra Nova, 16% of voters say they used artificial intelligence in the last municipal elections to confirm their choice, make up their minds, or change their minds. That figure rises to 35% among 18- to 24-year-olds.

With one year to go before the presidential election, the question is whether AI will become a full-fledged player in the democratic debate. And for good reason. While artificial intelligence doesn’t vote, it already influences those who do. AI no longer merely changes our access to information; it now impacts our decision-making. This poses a risk when it comes to choosing whom we want to elect in the voting booth: voting is, by its very nature, the intersection of critical thinking and action—a personal choice with far-reaching consequences.

However, when we look at the details, we realize that democracy is increasingly being shaped by algorithms. 7% of French people were reinforced in a choice they had already made, 5% changed their minds under the influence of AI, and 4% used it to make up their minds when they didn’t know who to vote for. With one year to go before the presidential election, these figures should give us pause. It seems as though AI will soon replace critical thinking rather than inform it: from this perspective, the candidates’ platforms would no longer be a matter of democracy but a matter of algorithms. “Tell me which AI you use, and I’ll tell you which candidate to choose”—this is how this new reality can be summed up.