Experts eye Alberta referendum as case study on impacts of artificial intelligence

The Canadian Press reports that Bridgman, director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, said answers from Google AI Overview and OpenAI's ChatGPT change because the data behind them keeps changing[2].CKOM, which carried the Canadian Press story, reports that the Observatory's report follows how AI is being used in online discussion ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum and found that many influencers are using AI to make content[3].Castanet reports that the study calls the vote "a case study of what a democratic vote looks like squarely in the influencer era."[4]The Medicine Hat News reports that University of Alberta political science professor Blair Attard-Frost said the growing use of AI in the separation debate is concerning[5]. She called these tools "really deceptive products."[5]According to the Calgary Journal, Attard-Frost warned that voters "could be getting incomplete, inaccurate, false or misleading information about the potential consequences of separatism."[6]The Medicine Hat News reports that when Premier Danielle Smith was asked whether AI-generated misinformation worries her, she said her government has used traditional media, including an ad campaign and booklets explaining the 10 questions[5].980 CJME reports that NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said anyone looking for misinformation should look no further than Smith's United Conservative Party government. He pointed to the booklets as an example of the government putting its thumb on the scale[7].