ECI urges political parties for responsible use of AI in campaigning

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has urged political parties for responsible and transparent use of Artificial intelligence (AI) in campaigning. The ECI asked political parties and candidates to appropriately disclose and label AI generated synthetic content.

In light of the increasing use of artificial intelligence and synthetically generated content in political campaigning and their potential to influence voter opinions and trust, ECI has issued an advisory to political parties to promote transparency and accountability in use of AI-generated content in campaigning.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has consistently cautioned against the potential of AI and deep fakes in compounding the malaise of misinformation. In the recent press conference announcing the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, the CEC directed the administration to be on the alert to any attempts to spread misinformation and act swiftly to counter them especially wherever it has the potential to erode trust in electoral processes. He had also urged political parties to maintain dignity and decorum in campaigning.

Now taking a step further, the recent advisory by the Election Commission introduces labelling and disclosure norms requiring parties to clearly label any images, videos, audio or other materials generated or significantly altered by AI technologies with a notation such as "AI-Generated" / "Digitally Enhanced"/" Synthetic Content". It also requires Political parties to include disclaimers during dissemination of campaign advertisements or promotional content, wherever synthetic content is utilized.

The advisory is in line with the Commission's efforts to ensure responsible use of AI and social media for a level playing field. During the GELS 2024, the Commission had issued guidelines for responsible and ethical use of social media platforms.

Earlier on January 15, in a bid to enhance voter awareness ahead of the 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R. Alice Vaz launched a fleet of over 3,000 auto-rickshaws across the city's 70 constituencies on Wednesday. The initiative aims to motivate citizens to exercise their voting rights, according to an official statement.

The statement emphasised that, in a significant step to promote voter awareness ahead of the Delhi Legislative Assembly Election 2025, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi, R. Alice Vaz, flagged off a fleet of specially designed autos. These auto-rickshaws will operate across all 70 Assembly constituencies, spreading awareness about the democratic process and encouraging active voter participation. Over 3,000 vehicles have been deployed for this extensive campaign.