Talk Evening: AI in Election Campaigns

Opportunities, Risks, and Changes in Social and Political Communication. Evening Talk with Markus Baier (Südkurier), Nathalie Wagner (FDP), Simon Herzog (CDU), Niklas Nüssle (Greens), and Peter Schallmayer (SPD). How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) changing political communication and election campaigns? In an era where AI technologies are increasingly integrated into our daily lives, we take a look at their impact on society, our democracy, and political opinion formation. As part of the exhibition "Hey AI, who should I vote for in the region?", which will be on display from February 1, 2026, at the Waldshut Education Center, we invite you to an exciting evening talk where we will discuss these questions. The exhibition, created in cooperation with the State Center for Political Education, showcases AI-generated images of the parties that visualize their election programs in innovative ways. Accordingly, on February 24, we want to engage in an open discussion with experts and practitioners about how AI is changing the political landscape – from election campaigns to long-term opinion formation.

Our Guests and Topics
Joining us is Markus Baier, head of the local editorial team at Südkurier, who will share insights from the perspective of journalism on how AI is shaping the media landscape and political reporting. Representatives from the parties (Simon Herzog CDU, Peter Schallmayer SPD, Niklas Nüssle Greens, Nathalie Wagner FDP) have also confirmed their participation and will share their experiences and viewpoints on the topic of "AI in Election Campaigns."

Central questions for the evening include:
• How does AI shape election campaigns and the way political issues are presented?
• What role does AI play in opinion formation during elections?
• What dangers arise from deepfakes and AI-generated fake news in election campaigns?
• Can AI change political communication in the long term? What does this mean for democracy?