In 2024, the line between reality and simulation is blurring—especially in politics. The question now echoing around the globe: Can AI avatars replace political candidates and still maintain democratic integrity?
Indonesia offers a compelling case study. A country of over 17,000 islands and hundreds of languages, it’s no small task for any political candidate to connect with such a diverse electorate. Enter the AI avatar—a digitally generated political figure capable of speaking every local dialect, appearing on every screen, and working around the clock. This experiment with AI political avatars across multilingual populations is raising both hope and alarm.
Supporters argue that AI-generated politicians and voter trust issues are manageable with transparency and regulation. They highlight how AI is changing political campaigning in 2024, enabling outreach to remote voters, providing instant responses to public concerns, and eliminating the human flaws of traditional politicians.
But not everyone is convinced.
Critics fear deepfake political campaigns and public opinion manipulation will become the new norm. When voters can no longer tell if a speech is real or AI-generated, how can we trust the message—or the messenger? The impact of AI campaign avatars on democracy could be profound, eroding the very trust that elections are built on.
Even more concerning are ethical concerns with AI avatars in politics. Who writes their scripts? Who programs their promises? In essence, will voters accept AI as political representatives, or will they reject this digital detour as a dangerous step toward synthetic governance?
Still, in countries like Indonesia, where geographical barriers limit political access, the case study on Indonesia’s AI political candidate shows that technology might bridge more than it breaks. If used wisely, AI could empower democracy—not replace it.
Yet the stakes are clear. As AI avatars march into the public arena, the question isn’t just whether they can campaign—it’s whether we can still call it democracy when they do.
