Electoral Commission urged to investigate Leave.EU after AI social media messaging

The Electoral Commission has been urged to investigate Leave.EU, the Brexit campaign group set up by Nigel Farage and funded by Aaron Banks, after it failed to declare the role of a firm of ‘’psychographic’’ social media strategists in its referendum campaign.

Cambridge Analytica (CA), which advised Leave.EU in the run up to the EU referendum, uses artificial intelligence to create personalised political messages on social media news feeds based on what users say and ‘like’. This form of tailored messaging on social media platforms has become a major part of both political campaigning and advertising: by tapping into the tone and style of someone’s social media output, messaging is targeted far more effectively than if a blanket style is applied.

If someone comes across as neurotic and irrational, then a fear based campaign – perhaps focussing on job loss from EU workers – will work best. On the other hand, a more reserved and level headed social media user may respond better to messaging focussed on the UK becoming an independent player on the global stage.

Stephen Kinnock, the pro-remain MP who has written to the Electoral Commission to request that they begin investigations, is arguing that receiving advice from CA amounts to a donation in kind which would have tipped the campaign group over their spending threshold. As it stands, Leave.EU spent £693,000 of the £700,000 that they were allowed.

Kinnock also questioned the political motivations of CA’s involvement and the pro-Trump nature of CA’s biggest backer, Nigel Mercer. He describes the situation as ‘’a set of arrangements with a company that seems to be backed by a foreign billionaire and with contributions being made that are not being declared.”