Danielle Vinson talks about AI and the campaign trail

As AI models become more sophisticated, politicians and lawmakers are increasingly using the technology in their campaigns from ads to analysis and strategy to graphic design and more. Furman University’s Danielle Vinson ’89, a professor of politics and international affairs, says candidates only need a laptop and a human to churn out content. But since there are currently no sweeping laws on the books governing the use of AI in campaigns, much of the policing of AI-generated messages is left to the media, politicians and voters they are trying to reach. “With the states leaving it wide open, we’re really relying on candidates and voters and the public and the media to help mediate what is ethical and what is tolerable and what’s not tolerable,” Vinson said in an interview with CBS affiliates WCSC in Charleston and WTOC in Savannah.