Last season, as generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots dominated the national headlines, we explored the impact of new technologies on teaching, research and learning at colleges and universities. This year, we return to the topic of AI, with a focus on how the technology is affecting our election and information systems. Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, joins us to discuss election protection, including the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy (CITED), Common Cause’s newest effort to fight technology based-threats to democracy.

Episode Resources:

• CITED – California Initiative for Technology and Democracy
• CITED Report: Democracy on Edge in the Digital Age
• CA Common Cause – Three Bills Addressing Dangers of AI to Elections Pass Assembly Floor
• LA Times “Opinion: AI is turbocharging disinformation attacks on voters, especially in communities of color”
• Washington Post “In Arizona, election workers trained with deepfakes to prepare for 2024” 
• Center on Technology Policy at UNC Chapel Hill Report: The new political ad machine: Policy frameworks for political ads in an age of AI