Experts Eye Alberta Referendum as Case Study on Impacts of Artificial Intelligence

Alberta referendum mail-in special ballots are seen in Calgary, on Sept. 24, 2026. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

On any given day, says Aengus Bridgman, if you ask a popular artificial intelligence chatbot and a search engine whether taxes in an independent Alberta would be higher, it might say yes.

A few hours later, it could be no.

Responses from Google AI Overview and OpenAI’s ChatGPT can change, because data used to predict responses is always changing. “(It’s) not because any of the underlying reality has changed,” said Bridgman, director of Media Ecosystem Observatory.

In a report released last month, the Ontario-based initiative documented mixed responses to questions about what an independent Alberta could look like.

“We asked, ‘Will my taxes go up?’ ‘Will my pension go up?’ ‘Is this fiscally advantageous to me?’” Bridgman said.

The report tracks how AI technologies are being harnessed in the online discourse ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum.

Albertans are voting on 10 questions, including whether they want to stay in Canada or to have a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation.

The report says the vote is a case study in how AI could influence future elections when it comes to where people get their news.

“Year over year, online influencers have been accumulating relevance and engagement at the expense of news media and elected officials,” says the report.

“We now have a case study of what a democratic vote looks like squarely in the influencer era.”

Bridgman said social media and AI have vastly expanded debates on separation.

“It’s good in terms of a lively democracy.”

But, he added, technologies have also made tracking the referendum, and elections generally, more complex.

It’s likely because of the maxim: garbage in, garbage out.

Elections Alberta says on its website that AI-powered chatbots and search engines are increasingly being used to find and summarize information found online.

The agency warns: “They are not official sources of election information and frequently cite incorrect information sources.”

OpenAI and Google didn’t respond to requests for comments on Media Ecosystem’s report.

OpenAI spokesperson Nate Evans shared a May blog the company posted on its website outlining what technologies the company has partnered with to ensure its chatbot produces accurate information during votes.

“This year is the world’s second major election year since generative AI became widely available, and we’re continuing to build on the foundation we laid in 2024 to help protect elections in countries and territories around the world,” the post said.