Don’t Be Like ChatGPT This Election Season
This is the first in a series of SBS Comms Briefing Notes about the 2024 U.S. election
A funny thing happened to me when I was writing this Briefing Note on the 2024 campaign: ChatGPT refused to edit my draft, noting, “I'm unable to provide information or engage in discussions about election-related matters in the United States.”
That’s a sentiment that many PR teams in the tech industry probably share, preferring to remain on the sidelines in the runup to November 5th. They have good reasons to feel that way – if social media companies could have stayed out of the fray in the elections of 2016 or 2020, they would have saved their communications departments a lot of grief. And those campaigns could be milquetoast compared to what’s in store for us this November.
Realistically, however, the tech industry as a whole cannot keep its head in the sand, and hope that reporters cover product launches and funding news while ignoring the role it plays in the hot button issues of this election cycle. Those topics include censorship, job displacement, geopolitical competition, economic growth – the list goes on. Journalists, pundits and politicians will discuss tech’s role in these issues no matter what; industry players would be well served to join the conversation, and defend their interests. Especially now, the public is watching, judging and forming lasting opinions.
Industry Tailwinds
Thankfully, the tech industry enjoys tailwinds, as it enters 2024 with a series of wins that have bolstered its public perception.
For starters, AI is riding a wave of popularity, thanks in large part to the generative AI boom. Consumers remain enchanted by tools that create professional-quality writing and dazzling images with just a few prompts. And with apologies to Swifties, AI arguably brought us the biggest musical event of 2023 – a new Beatles song.
Not one to ignore public opinion, Congress practically swooned when Sam Altman descended on Washington in the spring of 2023 for AI hearings. Republican Senator John Kennedy went so far as to suggest Altman run a government agency that would regulate his own industry. And in a White House meeting a couple months later, giants from Amazon to Microsoft and Google agreed to nonbinding safeguards to protect against the threats of AI. The envy in the air was thicker than DC humidity as other industries wondered why they too couldn’t write their own voluntary rules.
It isn’t just AI that’s enjoying good fortune: The crypto industry is in the early stages of a comeback after a dark, punishing winter. With the first trial of Sam Bankman-Fried complete and the second dropped, industry cheerleaders can credibly say the worst is behind them. Financial news outlets celebrated approval of the Bitcoin ETF as if Jamie Dimon had won the U.S. presidency, and talk is already emerging of a follow-on for Ethereum. Meanwhile, Congress has made real progress on legislation that would provide the kind of regulatory certainty that has long eluded blockchain projects – and pushed many offshore.
Potential Setbacks
Of course, public opinion is finicky, and any number of industry setbacks threaten to erode all this goodwill and place tech in the crosshairs of 2024 candidates. Another SBF-like scandal or massive hack could elevate the voice of leading crypto critic Elizabeth Warren, empowering the Democratic senator to rally her supporters and entire caucus against the tech.
And the stakes are arguably higher for AI in this election, as the very factors that make it compelling also make it dangerous. With it easier than ever to create realistic videos, generative AI apps could allow bad actors to manipulate public opinion with deepfakes of political candidates. If the voluntary safeguards fall short – say tools emerge that make it easy to remove the watermarks Big Tech pledged to implement – Washington’s initial cooperation with the industry will appear naive. Policy makers and the public would turn on AI, and there would be little swooning in the next round of congressional hearings.
That’s not to say the industry should enter this election cycle in a state of fear. Carefully laid crisis plans will mitigate potential PR disasters, while sustained and strategic engagement with external stakeholders – particularly the media – will help businesses shape the narrative and stay ahead of the story. In fact, 2024 should be a good year for tech, so long as the industry doesn't follow ChatGPT’s strategy and sit this one out.