The threat posed by the use of new technologies to create a false image of the world surrounding us emerges from the digital world and can have consequences for the real world as well as the very essence of democracy. There is an increasing need to introduce legislation that will put all new technologies within certain legal frameworks and reduce the possibility to misuse them.
Recently, there has been growing concern about the use of new technologies in election campaigns, particularly the increasingly prevalent ‘deepfake’ technology that uses AI to create highly realistic fake images, videos or audio recordings that can show individuals saying or doing things that they never actually said or done. When it comes to election campaigns, the abuse of AI is reflected in the fact that it changes the public’s perception on certain candidates in elections or parties i.e., it creates a false image of the world around us.
However, it is necessary to point out that a type of new technology is already being used in the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with almost identical function – to create a false image of the world. That’s social networks used by almost all of us but which are misused and used by political entities to create false mass support for a certain party or candidate or to discredit political opponents and spread fake news. Specifically, it’s about social media bots that can make us wondering if we could trust our eyes and what we see on social media.
When it comes to social media bots in general, they can be described as automated software programs built to perform various tasks on social media. These tasks can range from simple actions such as to automatically publish content, like posts and follow to more complex activities such as to engage in conversations or spread specific messages.
Although there are different types of bots, political bots appear in the context of elections. Political bots are used to manipulate public opinion by spreading propaganda, fake news or misinformation on social media. They can amplify certain political messages, attack opponents in elections, or engage in coordinated campaigns so to influence elections or social movements. Precisely because of this, the use of political bots raises ethical questions related to transparency, accountability and public opinion manipulation.
Cases pertaining to use political bots in election campaigns are already common on the world stage. Over the course of the 2016 US election, Russian operatives allegedly used bots to spread disinformation. During the 2018 Brazilian elections, both supporters and opponents of candidate Jair Bolsonaro were accused of using bots to manipulate public opinion on social media. Political parties in India often use bots during election campaigns to amplify their messages and attack opponents. In the 2018 Mexican elections and the 2019 Indian elections, there were reports of bots being used to spread propaganda, fake news and hate speech. Russian authorities have been accused of using bots to manipulate elections at home and abroad. During the 2016 Russian election, bots were allegedly used to promote the ruling party and suppress dissenting voices.
When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still not enough detailed research on how programmed political bots work. However, it is common knowledge that in addition to bots-robots, in Bosnia and Herzegovina society operate bots backed by people, i.e. party bots. Their role is identical to that of bots-robots, which is to give maximum support to one party and discredit the opposing party and thus create a false image of the real situation in the digital world, which should be a reflection of the real world.
Unfortunately, in such situations, it is not only about people who passionately support their party and decide to take some questionable actions on social networks. The research conducted in 2023 by the Coalition “Pod lupom”, showed that active support on social networks appears as one of the increasingly present pressures on voters, in addition to some classic ones such as pressure to vote or join a party, etc. Namely, out of 868 respondents throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, 96 of them stated that they were in a situation where they had to support a candidate or a party on social networks against their will. It is likely that this kind of pressure on voters will continue until the parties do something positive in regard to programmed bots-robots.
The threat posed by the use of new technologies to create a false image of the world surrounding us emerges from the digital world and can have consequences for the real world as well as the very essence of democracy. There is an increasing need for legislation that will put all new technologies within certain legal frameworks and reduce the possibility to misuse them.
