How Latinos can avoid election misinformation
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Election experts are warning bad actors may use artificial intelligence to deter Latinos from voting on Tuesday.
Why it matters: This election, in which the Latino vote could be decisive in several swing states, is the first in which AI tools have been readily available to many people.
State of play: Election officials in heavily Latino states like Arizona have already expressed concerns about the use of deep fakes.
- The FBI in the past weeks has debunked videos that circulated widely on social media showing mail-in ballots being allegedly destroyed.
- The FBI says these were manufactured by Russian actors.
What they're saying: "This election, anyone can create misinformation from their laptop at home," says Susan Gonzales, founder and CEO of the nonprofit AI and You.
- "The Latino vote here is more important than ever historically, and our community needs to understand that this is why we are prime for misinformation, to sway our votes or to keep us from voting," she adds.
- Gonzales says someone could create realistic looking social media ads or posts showing an alleged fire or problem at a certain polling station, to disincentivize people from voting there.
- She says the same tools could be used after polls close to sow confusion about the vote count.
The big picture: Latinos are heavy users of social media, including channels like WhatsApp, where Spanish language misinformation can run rife.
- Gonzales says Latino voters should be especially wary about things they see on social media in the coming days, and make sure to only interact with trusted sources.
- Nonpartisan organizations like PolitiFact will be sharing important information on Election Day in both English and Spanish, and Meta has partnered with Telemundo and Univision to fact-check things shared on WhatsApp.
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