They don't march in the streets or storm the polls, but a new breed of AI-controlled personas could be the next big threat to democracy.
According to a new policy forum paper in Science , Swarms of AI personas mimic humans so well they can infiltrate online communities, shape conversations, and tilt elections—all at machine speed. Unlike old-school botnets, these agents coordinate in real time, adapt to feedback, and sustain coherent narratives across thousands of accounts.
How AI-controlled personas work
Advances in large language models and multi-agent systems allow a single operator to deploy thousands of AI "voices" that look authentic and talk like locals. They can run millions of micro-tests to find the most persuasive messages, creating a synthetic consensus that feels grassroots-driven but is engineered to manipulate democratic discourse.
Deepfakes, fake news and election warning signs
Full-scale AI swarms remain theoretical, but early warning signs include AI-generated deepfakes and fabricated news outlets that influenced recent election debates in the U.S., Taiwan, Indonesia and India, says UBC computer scientist Dr. Kevin Leyton-Brown.
Monitoring groups also report pro-Kremlin networks flooding the web with content intended to poison future AI training data.
What experts fear may come next
AI swarms could tilt the balance of power in democracies, said Dr. Leyton-Brown. "We shouldn't imagine that society will remain unchanged as these systems emerge. A likely result is decreased trust of unknown voices on social media, which could empower celebrities and make it harder for grassroots messages to break through."
Researchers say the next election could be the proving ground for this technology. The question is whether we'll spot the invasion before it's too late.
