Ongoing project

The Impact of AI on Political Knowledge, Opinion, and Democracy (KnowAI)

How does Generative Artificial Intelligence affect what people know, believe, and trust?

Project period January 2025–December 2029

Project employer Norges forskningsråd

Project nr. 10794 // NRF: 352542

Project leader Rune Karlsen

The project “KnowAI” will study how people use Generative AI and how the tools vary. This way we will uncover how these technologies can shape peoplesʼ knowledge and opinions. We specifically investigate how different variations of AI technology interact with peoplesʼ motivation, abilities, trust and cognitive biases.

Participants

Atle Hennum Haugsgjerd Senior Research Fellow +47 930 58 583 Send e-mail

Rune Karlsen Affiliated Research Professor Send e-mail

Kari Steen-Johnsen Research Professor +47 906 49 417 Send e-mail

Taina Bucher, UiO

Jennifer Jerit, Dartmouth College

Steven Hicks, SimulaMet

Haugsgjerd, Atle Hennum; Karlsen, Rune; Martins, Guri Barka & Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2026). Generativ KI i valgkampen 2025: Ny teknologi, etablerte medievaner. In Bergh, Johannes & Haugsgjerd, Atle Hennum (Ed.), Konflikt og mobilisering. En studie av stortingsvalget 2025. Cappelen Damm AS. p. 281–302. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
How much did generative AI matter in the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election? This chapter approaches the question from the voters’ perspective, examining who used tools like ChatGPT and Claude during the campaign, what they used them for, and how much they trusted what these tools told them. We then turn from use to perception: how voters considered AI’s influence on themselves and on others, and whether they found it harder to tell true from false in an information environment increasingly shaped by AI-generated content. The results complicates both the optimistic and the alarmist accounts of AI’s arrival in electoral politics. The use of AI was concentrated in particular groups, and AI were used alongside established news sources. Situated at an early stage of generative AI’s integration into election campaigns, the analysis offers a baseline for tracking how this technology may reshape the political information environment in future elections.

View all works in NVA

Haugsgjerd, Atle Hennum (2026). Menn mellom 18 og 30 år leder an i mistillit mot politikere. [Journal]. Morgenbladet. Full text in Research Archive
Haugsgjerd, Atle Hennum (2026). Tronskifte, tillitskrise og unge menn. Full text in Research Archive
Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2026). Teknologi og demokrati. Full text in Research Archive
Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2026). Hvordan vil KI kunne endre samfunnet? Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2026). Digitalisering, KI og et informasjonslandskap i stadig endring. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Foredrag for forskningsrådet
Karlsen, Rune (2026). Digitalisering, informasjonslandskapet og regjeringsapparatet. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2026). Digitalisering og den nye offentligheten. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2026). KI og polarisering. Full text in Research Archive
Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2025). AI and the sustainability paradox. Full text in Research Archive
Steen-Johnsen, Kari; Haugsgjerd, Atle Hennum & Karlsen, Rune (2025). Concern and Enthusiasm for AI Across the Globe – The Role of Trust. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune; Haugsgjerd, Atle Hennum & Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2025). Generative AI as a Source Cue in Information Processing. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). Hva betyr KI for valg – og hvordan tas det med i valgforskningen? Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). Agderposten Fra bakerste benk. Det er snart valg, blir vi lurt. [TV]. Agderposten. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). KI og demokrati: Hvordan beskytte demokratiet når KI tar over? Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). KI og valg. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). KI og valg. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). Kunstig intelligens og valgpåvirkning. Full text in Research Archive
Karlsen, Rune (2025). The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Political Knowledge, Opinion Formation, and Democracy (KnowAI). Full text in Research Archive
Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2025). Hvilke konsekvenser vil KI få for demokratiet? Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA

Research topics: elections, democracy, media, technology

Published Apr. 28, 2025 11:11 AM - Last modified June 8, 2026 9:45 AM