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  • NEWS FEATURE

Misinformation might sway elections — but not in the way that you think

Rampant deepfakes and false news are often blamed for swaying votes. Research suggests it’s hard to change people’s political opinions, but easier to nudge their behaviour.
  1. David Adam
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Mexican woman casting her vote at the Tijuana Cultural Center during Mexico's general election in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

Mexicans voted this month to elect Claudia Sheinbaum as their next president. Credit: Carlos Moreno/NurPhoto/Getty

In January, some US voters in New Hampshire received automated phone messages in which President Joe Biden’s voice urged them not to vote in the state’s Democratic Party primary election. It wasn’t actually Biden, however: the message had been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

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Nature 630, 807-809 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01696-z

Additional reporting by Dyani Lewis.

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