AI, Race, and Politics

AI systems are reshaping racial and ethnic power dynamics across politics, governance, and scholarly inquiry, yet political science lacks systematic frameworks for analyzing when, where, and through what mechanisms these effects occur. This chapter surveys knowledge across three areas: 1) government use of AI in service delivery, surveillance, and coercive administration; 2) AI's impact on political information environments, mobilization, and electoral administration; and 3) AI as research infrastructure in the production of political knowledge. The methodology section examines how AI tools can introduce systematic distortions that standard disclosure practices do not address. In response, the chapter proposes an AI Measurement Statement (AIMS), a disclosure framework informed by practices in machine learning research and industry, designed to surface group-differentiated measurement risks and support transparency, construct validity, and cumulative knowledge production across political science subfields.