Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
So here we are, everyone! In the dazzling age of technology where your refrigerator can remind you to buy milk, your watch tells you when it’s time to breathe (because apparently, we’re too dumb to remember to inhale and exhale without a beep or buzz), and artificial intelligence… oh, artificial intelligence! It was expected to turn political campaigns on their heads. And what did we get? A resounding, echo-filled, monumental… nothing much.
Let’s start with the fact that A.I. was touted to be the game-changer for elections. Big data, micro-targeting, deep fakes — sounds like a sci-fi fest where robots are more trustworthy than people. Political gurus couldn’t stop blabbering about how it would “revolutionize” public opinion. Fast forward a bit, and what’s the reality? We’ve basically got the political equivalent of clicking “remind me tomorrow” on a software update.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for advancements — anything to break the monotony of election campaigns that feel longer than a double feature of Ben-Hur and Gone With The Wind. But the promised AI-powered electoral earthquake feels more like when my grandma feels a tremor every time the upstairs neighbor drops a spoon.
Candidates were expected to tailor messages so finely to us that a speech would practically be whispering sweet political promises unique to our ears. Instead, what do we have? The same old rehearsed rhetoric that could bore a caffeinated squirrel to sleep. If tha’s the zenith of AI in political campaigns, then I’d be better off discussing policy with my toaster!
And let’s chat about political ads. I thought the idea of AI was to personalize. You know, show me ads about things I actually care about instead of bombarding me with why candidate X thinks candidate Y has the ethical backbone of a chocolate eclair. If AI is so advanced, why am I getting ads for candidates in districts I can’t even vote in? Can we get a little GPS action here?
Let’s not forget the deep fakes. A part of me was actually excited about this one. Imagine watching a candidate debate themselves! It’d be more entertaining than wrestling matches on mute. But no, so far, the best we’ve gotten are lousy lip-syncs that wouldn’t fool a four-year-old.
Here’s another thing AI was supposed to revolutionize: fact-checking. Imagine, getting real-time alerts whenever a politician stretched the truth! It sounds fantastic; it’s also a complete fantasy. Instead, we get more fact-bending than a yoga retreat for contortionists. The only stretching I see is of credibility, and somehow, they didn’t program the AI to gasp in horror at every fib.
I can just see the next campaign run by an AI. It’d probably spend half its budget buying banner ads on websites nobody visits anymore and sending emails straight to spam. Oh, and crafting the perfect tweet that ends up typo-ridden because even artificial intelligence can’t figure out autocorrect.
In conclusion, if AI was going to upend the 2024 campaign, it sure is taking its sweet time. Maybe it’s too busy watching cat videos on the internet — frankly, I wouldn’t blame it. Let’s just hope it learns how to send text messages without including grandma’s forehead selfie by the next election cycle.
So, there you have it—a lot of promise, a lot of hype, and delivery that’s about as reliable as a screen door on a submarine.
Source: A.I. Promised to Upend the 2024 Campaign. It Hasn’t Yet.
