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November 30, 2024
Iceland is in the midst of a winter election campaign, and the challenges this year are particularly unusual. In addition to icy temperatures and recurring volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula, artificial intelligence is also playing an increasing role in the battle for votes.
For the second time within a year, a volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The glowing lava threatens important infrastructure, including roads, a power plant, and the popular tourist attraction "Blue Lagoon." The government is in crisis mode while the election campaign is in full swing.
Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, whose three-party coalition has failed on issues of migration and economic policy, is fighting for re-election. He is also relying on a new instrument: artificial intelligence. "Bjarni-AI," an AI chatbot, has been trained with thousands of the Prime Minister's speeches and social media posts and is intended to answer voters' questions – just as Benediktsson himself would. The project has already recorded tens of thousands of accesses, a considerable number for sparsely populated Iceland.
While the creators of the chatbot emphasize the possibility of identifying voters' key concerns through the questions posed to the AI, Benediktsson himself remains skeptical. He continues to rely on traditional campaigning and points out that the authenticity of AI's responses cannot always be guaranteed.
The influence of social media on the election campaign is also clearly noticeable in Iceland. The surprise victory of Halla Tomasdottir in the presidential elections this summer demonstrated the power of platforms like TikTok. However, government members are not allowed to actively use TikTok, which further fuels the use of AI in the election campaign.
Whether the AI chatbot and the volcanic activity will actually have an impact on the election outcome is uncertain. Political scientists are skeptical and emphasize that the influence of such factors is difficult to measure. Icelandic voters face the decision of shaping their political future amidst natural forces and technological innovations.
Regardless of the election outcome, Iceland continues to pursue the concept of the Wellbeing Economy. This model focuses on human well-being and ecological sustainability and offers an alternative approach to the traditional growth-oriented economic model. It remains to be seen how this approach will develop in the coming years and what influence it will have on Iceland's political landscape.
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