Frontier Tech Newsletter: Tech x Elections
This is a special edition of the Frontier Tech Hub’s regular Network newsletter, exploring the role of tech in this year’s elections. Sign up to be a member of the Network here.
In this edition you’ll find:
A look at our 2022 Future of Elections cycle with FCDO champions Paul and Emmy, and their final podcast episode.
Four signals we’re seeing this year, from internet shutdowns to democracy in the digital space.
Pnyx: our digital democracy pilot in Malaysia, seeking to make leaders more accountable.
Four new ideas from FCDO to use tech to protect democracy around the world.
How might we harness the power of frontier tech to protect democracy beyond 2024?
It’s a record-breaking year for elections, with more than 2bn voters casting ballots across 64 countries globally. Through 2024 we will inevitably learn how much technology can impact our governance and leadership.
We’re taking a moment to revisit the horizon scanning work we did in 2022 with FCDO champions Emmy Chirchir and Paul Edwards, where we asked the question: What could elections look like in 2025?
Together we explored the trends already emerging, such as digital authoritarianism, dual-use technologies, and low-tech tactics. We also explored concerning signals of misinformation, data privacy and surveillance, already becoming more mainstream across the world.
FCDO Futures champion Paul Edwards said on our Future of Elections podcast two years ago:
“The world is changing so fast. What's happening today may be eclipsed by something we can't even think about in two years time.”
Now that we’re 2 years on, what are we seeing?
It’s not about new tech, it’s about existing ones becoming more advanced, sophisticated and accessible to the masses. Generative AI has supercharged misinformation and disinformation, in particular with easier creation of deep-fakes, although thankfully, India’s election wasn’t as rife with misinformation as the world anticipated.
AI has enabled political figures to extend their reach and influence despite physical constraints. In Pakistan, former Prime Minister Imran Khan delivered a victory speech from jail using AI, while in Brighton, an AI avatar ran for candidacy in the UK elections, called Steve (spoiler alert: he came last).
Controlling information flow and access is worse than ever. Internet shutdowns rose to an alarming record number of 233 across 39 countries in 2023, which we had already seen used to prevent flow of voter information. To support communities facing shutdowns, USAID funded the creation of an Africa-based mitigating internet shutdown toolkit.
Democracy is taking advantage of the digital space however. Public Digital ran an online ‘Town Hall’ to explore local government in the UK, TikTok influencers have been rallying young voters in South Africa, and digital voter registration could expand electoral participation, with 42 US states set up vs 38 in the previous 2020 election.
Making Malaysia’s political leaders more accountable
There are opportunities to harness frontier technologies to support fairer, inclusive dialogue around elections. FT pilot project Pnyx is being Pioneered by Poorani Krishnan, Senior Science and Innovation Advisor at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She’s working with partner org Digitum Labs to create an app with more access to voting information, citing a need for more avenues beyond social media for engagement, information flow and trust-building.
“When we say ‘information’ our mind too often goes to social media, but we need something specific, where you're able to compare and you're able to reason well. I want to see people seek as much data as possible in order to decide who they should cast their vote for.”
Read Poorani’s Pioneer story here.
How might FCDO harness frontier technologies for fairer democracy?
In our open call for pilot applications earlier this year, FCDO staff submitted more ideas related to democracy than ever before, including:
A web3/decentralised platform to help people organise into a political force in India.
Tackling mis/disinformation in a Sub-Saharan Africa conflict setting using AI.
An AI-based system to counter social media disinformation.
An app to help safeguard and map media freedom in Peru.
These are signals of what’s possible, and we would love to hear from you in return: how can technology work in service of people, trust, and democracy beyond this year of elections?
If you’d like to dig in further…
🚀 Explore Rest of World’s 2024 AI election tracker
🚀 Explore Access Now’s internet shutdowns watch platform
📝 Read MIT’s three technology trends shaping 2024’s elections
🎬 Learn how to create a deepfake yourself (please don’t actually do this)
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