Democracy under siege: ‘AI storm’ looms over German election

Germany is gearing up for a high-stakes general election on February 23, but a storm of AI-driven chaos looms over the nation’s democracy. Cyber attackers and digital propagandists are circling like wolves, ready to pounce. Shadowy forces threaten to derail the race to the Bundestag, turning it into a digital battlefield. The pressing question is: can Germany hold the line and protect its democratic process?

Hacking German democracy: the rise of AI propaganda

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has issued a chilling warning about “attempts by foreign states to exert influence.” Cyber warfare is no longer a distant dystopia; it’s very much the here and now. Claudia Plattner, head of Germany’s cybersecurity agency BSI, painted a grim picture, saying, “There are forces inside and outside Germany that have an interest in attacking the election process and disrupting the democratic order.”

Much of the digital danger stems from so-called ‘hack-and-leak’ operations, where sensitive data is stolen and twisted to smear political candidates. After what is happening in Romania, these are worrying times for Europe.

A political AI storm at home and abroad

It’s not just foreign enemies causing a stir. Domestic disruptors, including the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), have reportedly mastered the art of exploiting social divides. Josef Lentsch, CEO of the Political Tech Summit, warned: “Populists and extremists are particularly good at exploiting these social divides.”

Armed with an arsenal of social media accounts and an “alternative digital infrastructure,” fringe groups are years ahead of traditional parties in the online propaganda war. Katja Munoz, a research fellow at Berlin’s German Council on Foreign Relations, revealed: “No party has built a larger digital infrastructure to push its narratives than the AfD.”

The AfD’s strategy includes deploying AI-generated propaganda- content designed to subtly mislead, reinforce biases, and shift the political narrative. A recent example was a shocking AI-generated video contrasting idyllic scenes of ‘native Germans’ with negative stereotypes of people of colour. “It’s not outright lies, but it’s manipulative to the core,” Munoz remarked.

A big red flag in Romania, and a warning for Germany

Germany’s election chaos echoes Romania’s recent political shock. In November, far-right candidate Calin Georgescu clinched a surprise win, fuelled by a coordinated Russian disinformation campaign on TikTok and Telegram. The results were annulled after security documents exposed the meddling, but it sent shockwaves throughout Romania and beyond. Ordinary Romanians were stunned to find out that a candidate they had ‘never even heard of as he only did TikTok videos,’ had suddenly won the elections.

Lentsch warned: “What happened in Romania can happen elsewhere, including in Germany.”

Defending democracy: Too little, too late?

With just weeks to go, Germany’s defences are under pressure. The BSI has scrambled to set up webinars to teach political candidates basic cybersecurity – a far cry from the robust in-person training initially planned. Plattner admitted, “We don’t have as much time to prepare as we thought.”

The BfV has formed a task force to monitor cyber threats, but experts argue it’s not enough. Lentsch urged civil society and political players to band together, saying, “Dialogue is critical, especially as the election period has shortened.”

Munoz echoed the urgency, calling for public awareness campaigns to combat the spread of disinformation. “Officials need to explain how public opinion is being manipulated,” she said.

As the clock ticks down to February 23, the fight to protect Germany’s democracy is a race against time. The wolves are circling, and the question remains: can Germany’s democratic defences hold the line, or will this election be hijacked in cyberspace?

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