“Item 5, from the NYT last week, in article called A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy: we are starting to see misinformation play out on the world stage:”
Our reading, the sentence that was checked:
We are starting to see misinformation, in the AI context of the NYT article he cites, play out on the world stage.
Assessment: Supported Evidence as of
Where and when Gary Marcus wrote it
Marcus on AI, Botshit Gone Wild, paragraph 18.
- Said
- Source observed
- live page, full text, public
- Evidence as of
- the cutoff for this assessment
- Assessment recorded
- assessment marcus-botshit-gone-wild-0cf500-a1
We recorded 4 claims from this post. See every claim from this post.
The wording above is the version this site observed on 2026-10-28. The source may have been edited after 2025-07-04. This page does not claim the wording was captured then.
What the claim commits to
- Kind
- Observation
- Deadline, as the speaker wrote it
- None stated. This site does not add one.
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Deadline state on 2026-10-29
- No horizon (the release’s reference date)
Conditions
- citing NYT article 'A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy' (qualifier, stated by the speaker)
- starting to (qualifier, stated by the speaker)
- on the world stage (scope, stated by the speaker)
From the speaker
- from the NYT last week
- A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy
- starting to see misinformation
- on the world stage
Our interpretation
- Plain reading: by mid-2025, AI-generated misinformation, such as deepfakes of candidates, was documented in elections and political events across several countries.
- 'Starting to' sets a low bar. Documented spread is enough; proof that AI decided an outcome is not required.
- The period runs from the 2024 global election wave to the post date.
Counts as supported if: Credible reporting or research from 2024 to mid-2025 documents AI-generated misinformation in elections or international political events in several countries.
Counts as contradicted if: Credible research finds no meaningful AI-generated misinformation in elections or international politics in this period.
Retrospective: these criteria were written after the outcome was public.
Current assessment
Was it true for the period described?
Outcome: Supported
The dated evidence matches what the claim committed to, under the criteria frozen before grading.
Scored on a plain reading. The speaker named no measure for this claim, so it was judged on the reading an informed reader would take, stated below under our interpretation. Both reviews had to find that reading fair.
- Evidence as of
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Assessment recorded
- Policy version
- 2026-10-28.7
Rationale
The NYT article Marcus cites, by Thompson and Myers on June 26, 2025, documents AI-generated fake photos and videos of candidates spreading in elections. It cites an independent panel that found AI used in over 80% of 2024 elections worldwide, with 215 documented instances and a harmful role in 69% of cases. It also reports that officials said an AI-enabled Russian operation tainted Romania's 2024 presidential first round, which a court annulled. An election law expert calls the headline overstated but agrees the cases are real. 'Starting to see misinformation on the world stage' fits this record.
Limitations
- How much AI changed election outcomes is disputed. This assessment covers presence, not decisive impact.
- The NYT text was read through a syndicated copy and an excerpt.
Evidence (4 items)
Supports the claim: Benton Institute (excerpting The New York Times),
Free and easy to use, A.I. tools have generated a flood of fake photos and videos of candidates or supporters saying things they did not or appearing in places they were not—all spread with the relative impunity of anonymity online.
Why it matters here: The NYT reports a flood of AI-made fake media of candidates in elections up to June 2025.
- Where
- summary paragraph
- Publisher
- Benton Institute (excerpting The New York Times)
- Kind of source
- News report
- Describes events of
- Public from
Supports the claim: Oman Observer (syndicating The New York Times),
In the unusually concentrated wave of elections that took place in 2024, AI was used in more than 80%, according to the International Panel on the Information Environment, an independent organisation of scientists based in Switzerland. It documented 215 instances of AI in elections that year
Why it matters here: An independent panel found AI used in over 80% of 2024 elections worldwide, and the article says it played a harmful role in 69% of cases. That puts AI misinformation on the world stage.
- Where
- paragraph 7
- Publisher
- Oman Observer (syndicating The New York Times)
- Kind of source
- News report
- Describes events of
- Public from
Supports the claim: Oman Observer (syndicating The New York Times),
In Romania, a Russian influence operation using AI tainted the first round of last year’s presidential election, according to government officials. A court there nullified that result, forcing a new vote last month and bringing a new wave of fabrications.
Why it matters here: A concrete international case. Officials said an AI-enabled foreign influence operation tainted a national election, and a court annulled the result.
- Where
- paragraph 4
- Publisher
- Oman Observer (syndicating The New York Times)
- Kind of source
- News report
- Describes events of
- Public from
Context only: Election Law Blog (Justin Levitt),
But if you skip the headline and read the piece itself, you’ll find a really useful catalog of some of the ways in which AI has been used in recent elections, with embedded multimedia examples.
Why it matters here: An election law expert calls the headline exaggerated but says the article catalogs real AI uses in elections. That supports the narrower 'starting to see' claim, not a strong reading of 'wearing down democracy'.
- Where
- paragraph 2
- Publisher
- Election Law Blog (Justin Levitt)
- Kind of source
- Secondary summary
- Describes events of
- Public from
Where it was said (1)
Said once in the sources this register covers.
: Marcus on AI, Botshit Gone Wild
Item 5, from the NYT last week, in article called A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy: we are starting to see misinformation play out on the world stage:
- Where
- paragraph 18
- Published
- 2025-07-04
- Source observed
- , live page
- Access
- full text, public
History
Assessment versions
- Assessment marcus-botshit-gone-wild-0cf500-a1: Current. Outcome: Supported. Evidence as of 2026-10-28. Public date not recorded.
Recorded events
Assessment publishedBy this site
First assessment published after both reviews and the final-text check passed.