How governments worldwide are shaping what AI can say about politics

A Vanderbilt researcher and colleagues examined AI regulation in 12 countries and regions and found governments often use existing national security or anti-state propaganda laws, rather than new AI laws, to control what AI models say about politics. The piece cites examples including India's response to a Gemini answer about Prime Minister Modi, China's requirement that models uphold "socialist core values," Turkish court rulings against Grok posts, and a Vietnamese prosecution over AI-faked leader images, as well as cross-border effects of EU rules and a 2025 U.S. executive order on "truth-seeking" AI. It concludes that voters should treat chatbot answers about elections as a starting point rather than a substitute for critical thinking.