Introduction: Opportunities and Risks

Section I

Introduction: Opportunities & Risks

If you hold a leadership position in a campaign, no doubt you are looking at a full array of technology tools to help your candidate win.  As you organize and plan your strategy, you are likely considering using artificial intelligence (AI) on the campaign in a few ways, including internally with staff or through a vendor who uses it on your behalf. 

The rapid advancement of AI has created an ever-changing number of highly beneficial use cases, such as reducing the time it takes to complete arduous research tasks, identifying fundraising opportunities, and using existing content to create fresh messaging. Like any technology, there are benefits and risks. The latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report from 2025 focused on outlining approaches to organizational adoption of AI in a safer and more secure manner. Their guidance included establishing a ‘security framework’ as the bedrock of an organization’s AI strategy:

“..Organizations require a strong security framework that helps them: prepare for AI adoption; discover how AI is being used within the organization; protect sensitive data, AI agents, applications and models; and govern AI operations.” 

Implementing AI in your campaign safely and securely from the onset is an essential component of your technology playbook. Many of the core cybersecurity practices that Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC) recommends for every campaign - protecting your accounts, email and websites - will address many of the risks of implementing AI. However, depending on the ways in which you use AI, other risks and security strategies may need to be considered.

All cybersecurity starts with taking a risk management approach. This means being sure you understand the risks of all the technology you use and taking the needed steps to mitigate them. You don’t need to be an expert in AI or technology to use it in your campaign in a cybersecure manner. 

This toolkit is tailored for the unique needs of the political sector and designed to help you deepen your understanding of security considerations to take into account when deploying AI, provide guidance on how to implement AI for your core team and vendors, and ideas on a path forward to get started using AI in a productive way on your campaign.