How to spot AI misinformation: Voters guide from Attorney General Letitia James

A voters guide for New Yorkers released by Attorney General Letitia James offers tips on how to spot and report deep-fakes and other election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence.

The guide, "Protecting New York voters from AI-generated election misinformation," tells voters to "be skeptical" of information they encounter online and over the phone.

Its release comes amid skyrocketing concerns in the United States and globally about the long- and short-term affects AI-driven technology could have on everything from elections and education to military weaponry and day-to-day life, online or off.

James' effort is designed to help voters distinguish between legitimate and bogus election information online ahead of the November elections.

Along with announcing the voters guide. the attorney general advised prospective voters this week to consult either New York State or local boards of elections to verify their eligibility, as well as when, where and how to cast a ballot. During the early voting period, Oct. 26 through Nov. 3, as well as on Election Day, Nov. 5, voters can also call the attorney general's Election Protection Hotline with questions or concerns.

Relatively low financial barriers in 2024 to accessing and creating online content has made AI-generated misinformation a "greater concern this election cycle than previous ones," said Krishnan Pillaipakkamnatt, a professor of computer science at Hofstra University.

"A savvy person with a few thousand dollars can buy a computer or put one together from parts to run ... AI systems to generate pictures and text that look very authentic," Pillaipakkamnatt said in an email. He added that "in a charged election, where people want to believe that the opposing party is ‘evil,’ it is easy to find an audience" susceptible to believing misinformation.

Among the most well-known forms of AI-generated election misinformation are "deep-fakes" — lifelike photographs, videos or audio recordings of a real person, such as a candidate for elected office, appearing to do and say things they never did.

"Many of these efforts are sadly geared to manipulating voters, exacerbating divisions within our communities and even attempting to affect the results of our elections," James said in an open letter to New Yorkers posted with the online guide. "We all want to trust our eyes and ears, but I urge you to be on your guard about false information related to voting and elections."

Long Island leaders of both major political parties said they are on alert for online misinformation that could fool voters. Jessie Garcia, chairman of the Suffolk County Republican Committee, said potential misinformation, either on candidate mailers, phishing schemes or generated by AI, "is always a concern."

"We remind our volunteers, our canvassers, our committee people to be on the lookout and to remind voters ... to be careful and report to them any kinds of incidents that may be a little questionable," Garcia said.

Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Committee, said that while misinformation is "not new in politics," deep-fakes designed to mislead voters about candidates and casting their ballots are "more of a threat" in the current election cycle.

"Now you can actually put words in somebody’s mouth and people will believe it," Jacobs said.

James’ guide urges New Yorkers to refrain from sharing online content they "suspect may be fake" without verifying its authenticity with an official source, such as a local board of elections, first. Voters should also avoid relying on "chatbots," such as the Google Gemini AI overview.

"Free and fair elections are the core of our democracy," said Jim Scheuerman, the Democratic commissioner for the Nassau County Board of Elections. "I applaud the Attorney General’s initiative and reiterate to voters not only the importance of being wary on social media ... but also to report to their local board of elections if they receive any information from a third party agency regarding their voting status," as well as information about "polling places."

To all voters, James’ guide stresses, "If you see emotionally charged, sensational, and surprising content, be especially cautious. Remember that it may be fake."

The office of the attorney general asks voters to report misinformation about elections or voting, particularly misinformation concerning the time, place and manner of casting a ballot, by filing an online complaint.