AI disinformation could undermine 2027 polls, INEC warns

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence-driven disinformation poses a serious threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria. INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, emphasized that electoral technology and communication should be treated as a single discipline, as the commission's credibility depends on the integrity of the ballot, BVAS, and result sheets, as well as how information about electoral processes is understood and trusted by voters.

Amupitan also disclosed that INEC is conducting a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems and considering a mock presidential election to test its readiness ahead of the polls. Additionally, Amupitan raised concerns about the growing use of generative artificial intelligence to create synthetic audio, video, and images capable of misleading voters, highlighting that such technology has made manipulated content cheaper to produce and increasingly difficult to detect.

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