Senior Examines AI’s Role in Democracy

Senior Sloane Demetriou presented an independent study that took a close look at the impact of generative AI on the recent presidential election.

Demetriou’s personal passions for politics intersected with the emergence of publicly available ways to create content using artificial intelligence, which was the impetus to study this topic during the first semester. Realizing the power of this emergent technology within the political process, she approached History teacher Andy Bigelow and Computer Science teacher Brianna Ifft to serve as her co-advisors throughout the process.

In her culminating presentation, Demetriou provided examples of AI-generated content used in recent political discourse and educated those in attendance about the overall size and dynamic nature of the AI market—which was valued at $124 billion in 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 37.3%.

In attempting to determine the size of the threat AI poses to our democracy, Demetriou worked with Bigelow to research its impact in elections all around the world, including the recent mayoral election in London and the 2024 U.S. election. In collaboration with Ifft, Demetriou identified a host of articles, books and podcasts to learn more about AI technology, including requesting research access to OpenAI and AI deepfake video platforms to better understand how they work and their potential for misuse by those with malicious intent.

To better understand voters’ perceptions of AI’s influence, Demetriou surveyed Parker community members of voting age and asked them if they felt AI had impacted the recent election. Her data revealed that, while the majority of respondents believed AI did impact campaigns and endorsements, they did not feel these technologies impacted voter turnout and outcomes.

While it looks like generative AI is certain to become a staple of daily life, it is refreshing to see Parker students are keenly aware of the power, possibilities and potential pitfalls of these new tools in civic life. 

Parker congratulates Demetriou on this thoughtful study and offers thanks for educating the community!

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