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Nigeria’s electoral commission chief has defended the use of artificial intelligence in election management on Monday, stating that the technology is not a threat to democracy, even as he warned of its potential to spread disinformation.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Joash Amupitan said AI could improve electoral administration through efficient voter registration, logistics planning, and data analysis.
“Artificial Intelligence, AI, is not an enemy of democracy,” Amupitan said at the Beyond the Ballot Summit in Abuja.
However, he cautioned that the increasing accessibility of generative AI tools has made it easier for malicious actors to create deceptive content.
“However, the rabid democratisation of generative AI models has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for malicious actors, capacities, capabilities that want to require speedy-level intelligence resources such as high voice cloning of public figures, hyper realistic synthesis of election officials making false announcements are now accessible at negligible cost. These tools target specific vulnerabilities with distinct timelines,” he said.
The remarks come as INEC prepares to integrate AI into the country’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general election.
The commission’s plans have faced heightened scrutiny following the recent discovery of suspicious, possibly AI-generated photographs in the preliminary Register of Voters in Edo State.
INEC has acknowledged the questionable records and launched an investigation, noting that the preliminary register will undergo verification and data cleaning before final certification.
