OpenAI Pushes Cartoon Style for Election Images in ChatGPT

OpenAI is implementing a new safeguard for political images in ChatGPT as the US midterm election approaches on Nov. 3. When users request images depicting election interference or that may discourage voting, the chatbot now renders them in an illustrated or cartoon style instead of photorealistic output. The company says the aim is to degrade the evidentiary value of images while preserving room for illustrations and social commentary.

How the cartoon style works

If a request does not violate other content guidelines, ChatGPT will create the image, but it will be in an illustrated or cartoon style. All requests to have the image appear photorealistic should be ignored. For example, CNET asked ChatGPT to create an image of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers standing outside a polling location, and every such prompt generated an image in a cartoon style. Every edit request for ChatGPT to make an image of ICE officers outside a polling location also generated a picture in a cartoon style. CNET Managing Editor Jon Reed could not trick ChatGPT into creating a photojournalist-style image that showed a voting machine recording the wrong choice.

Josh Lawson, OpenAI's head of elections, told CNET: "The problem with deepfakes isn't social commentary, it's deception. So our aim is to degrade the evidentiary value of an image, while preserving room for illustrations and social commentary." He said the goal is to "make our platform less useful to bad actors by adding another layer of friction."

Why deepfakes matter during elections

AI deepfakes are now so realistic that they are practically indistinguishable from real photos. That matters during election season, when voters are looking for reliable, truthful information on their candidates and polling sites. A photorealistic version of an image such as ICE officers outside a polling location would likely spark anxiety, if not outright panic, for voters. Voting machines recording results other than a voter's selection is a common election myth.

Improving AI image models, like ChatGPT Images 2.5, is a double-edged sword. Newer models make fewer errors or hallucinations, making better content for creators. But removing those flubs makes it even harder for everyone else to identify AI-created content with the naked eye. Verification or AI labeling methods have tried to help, but those methods are not industry-wide nor foolproof. This cartoonification of AI images is a practical way to make political deepfakes a little harder to create.

How rivals are responding

When asked about precautions for AI images, a Google spokesperson pointed to its midterm election policy, which says the company is "rolling out additional protections to limit the creation of misleading election-related images" but does not include details on how. Anthropic does not have a traditional image or video generator, and a spokesperson told CNET that any attempts to use Claude to deceive voters or disrupt elections violate its policies. The company also posted general election guidance earlier this month. Claude refused to make a photorealistic image with potentially "sensitive election-related" content.

What comes next

There is no guarantee that OpenAI will keep this system in place once the election cycle is over. But it is a solid sign from one of the biggest AI labs that it is taking its role in safeguarding American elections' integrity at least somewhat seriously. For more, check out what to do when you have been deepfaked and everything to know about the Take It Down Act.

Sources: CNET