Synthetic polls threaten poll credibility

Polls that do not actually survey people but instead use AI to model responses are proliferating; early evidence (Pew) shows these synthetic surveys are unreliable and can be passed off as genuine public‑opinion data. At the same time, more outright fabricated polls are circulating, creating a new layer of misinformation that compounds traditional polling limits like low response and turnout uncertainty. — If synthetic or fabricated polls become widespread, they can distort media narratives, campaign strategy, and public perceptions of mandate or momentum in ways that are hard to correct.