INEC is concerned about the misuse of AI in the 2027 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned of the dangers posed by the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating and spreading manipulated content.

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

Based on the statement, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Voter Information and Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, expressed these concerns on Monday in Abuja while declaring the opening of a capacity building workshop for Public Affairs Officers hailing from across the state.

He said the increasing accessibility of generative AI has made detecting fake audio, video and images cheaper and much more difficult, raising concerns about its potential impact on voters and election credibility.

Haruna said the threats not only include fabricated content, but he also noted that AI can also be used to generate highly targeted messages designed to provide conflicting narratives to different groups of voters.

“Generative AI makes it cheaper and much more difficult to detect manipulated audio, video and images,” he said.

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He added that these developments mean that election technology and election communication must be treated as interconnected aspects in election management.

Haruna recalled that the Chairman of INEC, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), recently said that the credibility of elections no longer depends solely on ballot papers, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines and result sheets, but also on the information environment in which voters determine their judgment.

According to him, Amupitan called for election technology and election communications to be treated “not as separate issues but as one scientific discipline.”

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

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

In his remarks, Eta-Messi said officers had a big responsibility in shaping public perception of the commission.

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