The Conversation: How Governments Worldwide Are Shaping What AI Can Say About Politics

By Jordi Calvet-Bademunt

With the U.S. midterms approaching, about 1 in 5 voters has asked AI chatbots about elections and politics, a recent survey found.

But many voters may not know that governments around the world increasingly shape what chatbots can say. And because many tech companies apply the same policies worldwide, the answers American voters get may be shaped by governments at home and abroad.

I’m a researcher at a nonpartisan think tank at Vanderbilt University, where I study free speech policy. In two reports published in 2025 and 2026, my colleagues and I worked with global legal experts to examine how governments in 12 countries and regions regulate artificial intelligence. Our research shows that they often use existing rules, such as national security or anti-state propaganda laws, rather than new AI laws to control what AI models can say.

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What does this mean for voters? When you ask your chatbot about the elections, treat the answer as a starting point. Keep in mind that governments, both foreign and domestic, may try to influence the answer. AI responses should not replace your critical thinking at the ballot box.

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