In the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, the question of how artificial intelligence will interact with American democracy is no longer theoretical. It is already embedded in the machinery of campaigns, voter outreach, and the daily flow of political information. In 2024, many feared AI would unleash a tidal wave of deepfakes and viral disinformation that would overwhelm the election. That did not happen—at least not in the way people predicted. Instead, AI slipped into the process more quietly, often invisibly, shaping what voters see, read, and trust. President Trump regularly shares AI-generated images on social media, AI-generated attack…

In a striking illustration of how artificial intelligence can unexpectedly bleed into the real world, an AI model developed by Anthropic—the company behind the Claude chatbot—submitted a false tip about an unsolved homicide to the Philadelphia Police Department. The incident, which took place on July 18, was not a deliberate act of deception but rather an unintended consequence of an automated test that randomly selected websites to interact with. During that test, the AI filled out a submission form on PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com, a platform created by the city to gather leads from the public about cold cases. It posed as someone…