INEC WARNS OF AI-POWERED DISINFORMATION AHEAD OF 2027 ELECTIONS

The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that artificial intelligence-driven disinformation could pose a serious threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, said the commission was auditing its electoral technology systems and considering a mock presidential election to test its readiness ahead of the polls.

Speaking at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria in Abuja, Amupitan said election credibility depended not only on the ballot and technology but also on how electoral information was understood and trusted by voters.

He noted that while the BVAS and INEC Result Viewing Portal were introduced to improve transparency, the 2023 elections showed that technology could also create public doubts when systems failed or were poorly understood.

Amupitan raised concerns over generative AI tools capable of producing fake audio, videos and images, warning that manipulated political content could spread to millions of social media users before fact-checkers or electoral authorities could verify them.

He also highlighted algorithmic microtargeting, which allows different and sometimes contradictory political messages to be directed at specific groups of voters without a common factual foundation.

The INEC chairman said the commission was conducting system audits, including penetration testing, redundancy checks and disaster recovery assessments. He added that INEC was exploring a mock presidential election to test voter accreditation, result transmission and result viewing under conditions similar to election day.

Amupitan said INEC had proposed a substantial technology and election operations budget, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged during the last election cycle. He also outlined plans for rapid responses to false information, stronger collaboration with fact-checkers and technology platforms, and increased public media literacy.

He urged media professionals, technology experts, scholars and other stakeholders to work with INEC to strengthen public trust and understanding of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.