Chatbots and the Ballot Box: Evaluating Accuracy, Sourcing, and Language Gaps in AI Answers to Election Questions

Large language models that underpin AI chatbots have taken on an expanding role in shaping the information environment. Roughly 25 percent of American adults use chatbots daily including for information gathering and synthesis, entertainment, and other uses. LLMs also increasingly influence information flows in more subtle ways. They are now a primary tool for fact-checking and content moderation on social media platforms. Journalists, election officials, civil society organizations, and political campaigns increasingly turn to AI for vital tasks including research and content generation. While recent surveys show only a small proportion of American voters knowingly turn to AI chatbots for information about politics and elections, this share is likely to grow in the coming years.