Perplexity’s AI election tracker: What is it and how does it work?

Election tech innovation: Perplexity.ai, an AI-powered search engine, has launched an Election Information Hub to provide live updates, answer voter queries, and offer AI-generated summaries on candidates and ballot measures for the upcoming U.S. elections.

• The hub aims to assist voters in understanding key issues, finding polling information, and tracking live election results for presidential, Senate, and House races at both state and national levels.
• Users can input an address, city, or postal code to receive personalized information about what’s on the ballot for their area, including AI-generated summaries of candidates’ platforms and backgrounds.
• The platform will function as an AI chatbot, generating answers for election-related questions such as voting requirements, polling locations, and poll times.

Data sources and partnerships: Perplexity has partnered with reputable organizations to ensure the accuracy and reliability of its election information.

• The Associated Press (AP) will provide live election data for tracking vote counts and results.
• Democracy Works is supplying data on voting requirements, polling locations, and times through its Elections API.
• Additional sources include non-partisan organizations and verified news outlets like Ballotpedia, forming a curated set of references for answering election-related queries.

User accessibility and functionality: The Election Information Hub is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to all users in the U.S. and internationally.

• Users can track election results by viewing real-time updates on vote counts, percentages, and leading candidates.
• The platform offers AI-summarized analyses, with detailed summaries on ballot measures and candidates, including policy stances and endorsements.
• All answers provided by the hub contain sources, allowing users to verify information and read more by clicking through to original content.

AI in elections: Opportunities and challenges: Perplexity’s initiative enters a space where other major AI companies have been cautious due to the high stakes involved in election information.

• Companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Google have refrained from providing AI-generated election content, opting instead to direct users to official resources.
• The use of AI in election information raises concerns about accuracy and the potential for misinformation, particularly regarding AI hallucinations.
• A Reuters Institute analysis of chatbots answering European Parliament election questions found that while they produced some accurate and well-sourced answers, there were also instances of partially correct or false and misleading information.

Addressing accuracy concerns: Perplexity is taking steps to ensure the reliability of its Election Information Hub.

• The company is actively monitoring its systems to prioritize curated sources when answering election-related queries.
• By partnering with established organizations like AP and Democracy Works, Perplexity aims to enhance the credibility of its data.
• The inclusion of source links with all answers allows users to verify information independently.

Broader implications: The launch of Perplexity’s Election Information Hub represents a significant step in the application of AI to democratic processes, but it also highlights the ongoing challenges in this domain.

• While AI-powered platforms have the potential to make election information more accessible and comprehensible to voters, the risks of misinformation and inaccuracies remain a concern.
• The success or failure of this initiative could influence future applications of AI in electoral contexts and shape public trust in AI-generated political information.
• As AI continues to evolve, striking a balance between innovation and safeguarding democratic integrity will be crucial for tech companies, policymakers, and voters alike.