The 2026 midterms: why we should be wary of what GenAI tells us ahead of next year’s elections

  • Peter Finn
  • , Lauren C. Bell
  • , Amy Tatum
  • , Caroline V. Leicht

Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticle

Abstract

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is becoming increasingly part of the lives of many Americans, including seeking information about politics and elections. Less than one year out from the 2026 midterms, Peter Finn, Lauren C. Bell, Amy Tatum, and Caroline V. Leicht look at the effectiveness of GenAI as a tool for searching for information relevant to elections. They find that GenAI tends to skew its answers to the national level and can hallucinate answers to questions about politics which require nuanced answers.

This article is part of our ‘The 2026 Midterms‘ series curated by Peter Finn (Kingston University). The series will explore the run-up to the 2026 US midterm elections at the state and national levels.
Original languageEnglish
Specialist publicationLSE USAPP United States Politics and Policy Blog
PublisherLondon School of Economics
Publication statusPublished - 11 Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

This article is based on the paper, “Generative AI and the Nationalization of US Politics” in the Journal of American Studies.

Keywords

  • GenAI
  • midterms

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