“Our Assumptions Are Broken”: How Fraudulent Church Data Revealed AI’s Threat to Elections

If you had been keeping an eye on the news about church attendance in Britain lately, you might think the country was in the midst of a Christian revival.

Stories of growing congregations full of young people returning to the fold, spurred by everything from social media to a surge in Bible sales, appeared to be confirmed by a 2024 Bible Society report.

Based on data collected through a YouGov survey, it has been claimed that church attendance is increasing in England and Wales. The results made headlines and the narrative was established.

There was just one problem: the survey was based on “fraudulent” data and was withdrawn. And scientists and experts warn that this episode should serve as a parable, not about a renaissance of religion, but about the false prophets of artificial intelligence.