Kerala local body polls: From content creation to sentiment analysis, it’s AI time in election campaign

In the age of Artificial Intelligence, politicians cannot be behind anyone to make use of the technology to bolster their campaign for the local body elections. From content creation to sentiment analysis, political parties are increasingly exploring the possibilities of AI, which has already become a part of daily life. The most common application of AI in the ongoing elections is creation of content.

Posters and videos created using AI tools have been finding their way to the social media since electioneering started. Two such images posted by Vaishnavi Sailesh, the CPI(M) candidate in the Enath division of the Pathanamthitta district panchayat, have earned huge traction, showing the power of AI in impressing supporters. In one image, she is seen standing with the late CPI(M) stalwart V.S. Achuthanandan in a party office while the other features her taking part in a party rally in an open jeep along with former party State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. The candidate has taken care to add a note to the images that they have been generated using AI.

“This is the first time I’m stepping into electoral politics. I wish I could meet comrade VS in person and sought his blessings. I have created the image in Google Gemini using a prompt I thought of,” Ms. Sailesh wrote on social media while sharing the photo with VS.

Videos

Renju M. Joy, Congress candidate in the Thumpamon division of the Pandalam block panchayat, announced his candidature on social media by sharing a 1.34-minute AI-generated video featuring his political life, starting with how a door-to-door campaign influenced him when he was a little boy.

Ranjith Balan, State president, All India Professionals Congress, said members of his organisation, fielded on the Congress ticket, have been using AI tools for image creation and video editing.

“AI tools are used to make quick videos amid the campaign. Some of our candidates have been making reels soon after campaign events using AI tools. Professionals have been given due opportunity to contest local elections this time and they have explored new generation campaign methods,” Mr. Balan said. He highlighted the use of an AI-enabled app by his organisation in vetting voters’ lists in parts of Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram districts ahead of the polls.

M. Sivaprasad, State president, SFI, meanwhile, said there was no massive application of AI in the campaign of the Left candidates though some have used posters and videos created using the technology.

The BJP has launched a coordinated effort in using AI in its election campaign. It has been consistently posting AI-generated content, mostly satiric takes on political rivals, on its official social media pages of late. Sources in the party said it has also been using AI tools for sentiment analysis, including gauging public mood from responses on social media.

“The BJP at the national level has always been a frontrunner in social media campaigns using advanced technology. This time in Kerala, we are using technologies including AI aggressively at the micro-level too,” Anoop Antony, State general secretary, BJP, said.