MEMO The AI Election Year: How to Counter the Impact of Artificial

sway public opinion – marks a pivotal make democracies in Germany and the shift in the battle for the integrity of EU vulnerable. [...] Other exam- in Germany and the EU, it is impera- ples include the presence of 600,000 tive to counter attacks on our hearts Germany, the EU, and the US pride inauthentic accounts on Facebook and minds – and in alignment with our themselves on the importance of in- waiting to be deployed, or the recent democratic values. [...] ARE NOT DEFENSELESS • Social media platforms are referred The problem at hand is hidden, covert, In 2024, the EU parliament, the US to as the dissemination vector in re- professionalized, and sustained influ- presidential elections, and the state spect to synthetic content. [...] This is confirmed by recent suc- that Germany will also be the target for a more robust identity infrastruc- cessful detection efforts, such as the of election interference in the form of ture is crucial, finding the delicate bal- 40,000 inauthentic accounts on X that information manipulation, similar to ance between protecting user privacy disseminated disinformation and pro- the Doppelganger cam. [...] The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).