A reflection about artificial intelligence and algorithms in political communication. Instruments at the service of parties?

The use of artificial intelligence and algorithms has spread to all professional sectors. In the field of political communication, an extensive field of opportunities opens, including data analysis and monitoring of public opinion, design of audience profiles and micro-segments, dissemination of information and generation of content, or tasks related to strategy and prediction. These applications usually seek to influence voters and mobilize public opinion in one direction or another. However, not all are benefits, since this exponential development also generates some risks, such as the existence of false information, hate speech, or bots, or the perverse manipulation of the public sphere and citizen participation. In this chapter we consider these applications, evaluating benefits and risks, as well as some example cases, specifically from Ibero América going through ethical and social concerns and the biases that may arise from the use of artificial intelligence and algorithms in partisan political communication.