2027: INEC chair justifies AI use, warns of disinformation

Prof. Joash Amupitan, chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), defended the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in election management during a speech at 'The Beyond the Ballot Summit' in Abuja. Amupitan claimed that AI could enhance electoral administration through voter registration, logistics planning, data analysis, and managing large voter databases.

However, he warned that the latest advances in generative AI had made it easier to create deceptive content that could undermine public confidence in elections.

Amupitan emphasized that AI was not an enemy of democracy, stating, "Artificial Intelligence is not an enemy of democracy." He also expressed concern over the increasing accessibility of generative AI tools, which could be exploited to manipulate voters and spread disinformation during elections. The rapid democratisation of generative AI models has lowered the barrier to entry for malicious actors, making it possible to create highly realistic audio recordings of public figures and false announcements from election officials that could easily spread false information.

Amupitan urged the need to balance technological innovation with safeguards to protect electoral integrity in the face of potential misuse of these tools.