Search Search How artificial intelligence conquered democracy The technology is becoming commonplace in political campaigns, and some even claim it was crucial in delivering Donald Trump to the White House Click to follow The Independent Online I’ve got algorithm: big data is being used to influence people’s emotions Getty/iStock There has never been a better time to be a politician.
 But it’s an even better time to be a machine learning engineer working for a politician.
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 Now big data can be used to maximise the effectiveness of a campaign.
 The next level will be using artificial intelligence in election campaigns and political life.
 Machine-learning systems are based on statistical techniques that can automatically identify patterns in data.
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 And it remains unclear what role AI played in campaigning ahead of the Brexit referendum in the UK.
 Artificial intelligence can be used to manipulate individual voters.
 During the 2016 US presidential election, the data science firm Cambridge Analytica rolled out an extensive advertising campaign to target persuadable voters based on their individual psychology.