The intricate interplay between technology and politics has long been at the forefront of political science inquiries. Emerging artificial intelligence technologies, while revolutionizing various aspects of human economic and social life, are poised to redefine the dynamics of modern politics. Will cutting-edge Al technologies, including generative Al and conversational Al, influence competitive elections? How will these Al advancements reshape the landscape of Western-style electoral politics?What political implications will emerge from this Al-driven electoral transformation? This article unveils that the new generation of Al technologies represented by generative Al and conversational Al is permeating the electoral processes, heralding the dawn of “Intelligent Elections 3.0”. On the motivational front, increasing “election competitiveness” and “election commercialization” are propelling the adoption of newly emerging technologies in electoral practices. As for the mechanisms,generative Al is revolutionizing election content strategies, while conversational Al is driving shifts in election communication strategies. The two complement and reinforce each other, reshaping the electoral ecosystem fundamentally. At the impact level, emerging Al technologies catalyze the restructuring of the election alliances and the recalibration of their action strategies, shaping the formation, expression, and alignment processes of voter preferences. While empowering the efficiency of electoral organizations, emerging Al technologies also yield a multitude of adverse effects on electoral democracy. Especially amid escalating political polarization, Al-driven elections face heightened risks of misconduct, impeding the realization of competitive electoral functions and prompting a reassessment of classical political theories, thus charting new avenues of research in the field of “Technopolitics” .

　　Editor: Zhong Yao  Wei Xiaoxue

　　From:CASS Journal of Political Science.2025.No.1.