The role and impact of artificial intelligence-driven political marketing strategies on voter engagement and electoral outcomes in emerging democracies: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Abstract

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, political marketing and political campaign strategies in today’s era of fast-moving technological advancement has had a major impact on how citizens engage in democracy. This paper reviews how AI-based marketing in politics affects voter participation and election results in countries moving toward democracy. It is based on 68 peer-reviewed articles, institutional reports and empirical studies published between 2018 and 2025. The review draws on five main theories: technology acceptance, political marketing, the persuasion-knowledge model, the theory of democratic participation, and algorithmic governance. The findings are grouped into four areas: (1) AI-facilitated microtargeting and message personalisation; (2) predictive analytics for election forecasting; (3) automated content creation and chatbots; and (4) ethical and regulatory concerns. The results indicate that AI can predict voter behaviour with an accuracy of 15–25 per cent in emerging democracies, compared with 8–15 per cent in more developed democracies. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.