INEC worried over misuse of AI in 2027 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised the alarm over the danger posed by the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating and spreading manipulated content.

The commission in a statement signed by its Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, on Monday said this danger is “no longer a distant, theoretical risk” to the 2027 general elections.

According to the statement, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, raised the concern on Monday in Abuja while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers drawn from across the states.

He said the growing accessibility of generative AI had made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect fabricated audio, videos and images, raising concerns about the potential impact on voters and electoral credibility.

Haruna said the threat extended beyond fabricated content, noting that AI could also be deployed to produce highly targeted messages designed to feed conflicting narratives to different groups of voters.

“Generative AI has made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect manipulated audio, video and images,” he said.

READ ALSO: Wike draws battle line with Gov Uzodinma, vows to oppose Senate presidency ambition

He added that the development made it imperative for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated as interconnected aspects of election management.

Haruna recalled that the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), recently said electoral credibility no longer depended only on ballot papers, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines and result sheets, but also on the information environment in which voters formed their judgments.

According to him, Amupitan had called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated “not as separate concerns but as a single discipline.”

Haruna said the workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” was designed to equip INEC’s public affairs officers with the skills required to respond to the emerging information challenges.

Describing PAOs as “the frontline communicators of INEC in the states,” he said, “the credibility of INEC’s communication, in many respects, begins with the work you do.”

In her welcome remarks, Eta-Messi said the officers had a major responsibility in shaping public perception of the commission.

“It is through you that Nigerians form much of their impression of who we are, what we stand for, and how reliable our information is,” she said.

The post INEC worried over misuse of AI in 2027 elections appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.