2027 poll: INEC fears AI-powered disinformation

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concerns over the potential for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven disinformation to undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria. INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), emphasized the need to treat electoral technology and communication as a single discipline to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

He highlighted that INEC was conducting a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems, including redundancy, penetration testing, and disaster recovery plans, as well as considering a mock presidential election to test readiness. Additionally, Amupitan raised concerns about the growing use of generative AI to create synthetic audio, video, and images, which could potentially be used to manipulate voters.

The threat of AI-driven disinformation extends beyond outright fabrication and includes algorithmic microtargeting, which allows for the dissemination of contradictory political messages to different segments of the electorate.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.