There has been a tendency to treat them as accurate predictors of future events. CNN has gone as far as signing in deal to promote Kalshi, and they are presenting Kalshi odds as news.
Harry Enten seems to be required to cite Kalshi numbers in every segment in which he appears, and he makes no distinction between poll results and Kalshi odds.
Poll results are FAR more accurate. These markets are subject to manipulation, and one large bet can move things significantly.
Prediction markets are not polls. AI polls are not polls. There's a lot of crap out there pretending to be polls.