Is the Politics Business Ready for the Age of AI?

A number of political firms are ramping up investments in artificial intelligence in a bid to get ahead of what many see as an existential threat to the long-term survival of their business.

As platforms like Meta race to roll out new AI-powered features,  political practitioners say they’re bracing for big changes to their business models. Budgets are likely to shrink, they say, and deadlines are almost certainly going to become tighter and more demanding because of the technology. Firms that are staffed with dozens or even hundreds of professionals are going to have to downsize as AI automates more and more tasks.

The question on many political consultants’ minds: Can the industry survive this new era of AI in its current form?

During a panel discussion earlier this month at C&E’s Digital Campaign Summit in Washington, D.C., Push Digital Group Managing Partner Phil Vangelakos sounded the alarm over AI adoption in the politics industry. AI is going to change virtually every aspect of how firms operate, he said, and it’s up to practitioners to adapt.

“Everybody in this room right now needs to wake up,” Vangelakos said. “An asteroid is coming and a lot of us in this room are going to die. We’re not going to exist in this industry anymore. And I’m not kidding. It is going to shrink budgets. It is going to speed up timelines. If you are not creative, if you don’t have political acumen, if you’re not keeping up with this technology, you better hope for universal basic income, because it is going to eat your lunch.”