INEC Creates AI Unit, Deploys ChatGPT to Combat Fake News Ahead of 2027 Elections-Amupitan

INEC Creates AI Unit, Deploys ChatGPT to Combat Fake News Ahead of 2027 Elections-Amupitan

By Raphael Ekpang

Abuja (Core Reporters) The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit and commenced the deployment of ChatGPT as part of measures to combat AI-powered disinformation and protect the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this while speaking at the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity, themed Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI and the Integrity of the Nigerian 2027 Elections, held at the Continental Hotel, Abuja.

Amupitan warned that cloned voices, fabricated videos, fake election directives and manipulated results posed serious threats to Nigeria’s democratic stability, cautioning that the 2027 elections could be compromised through digital manipulation even before voters arrive at polling units.

He explained that the newly established AI unit would monitor emerging technologies, assess potential threats and develop mechanisms to prevent malicious actors from exploiting artificial intelligence to impersonate election officials, circulate fake results, manipulate public opinion and incite violence.

According to him, the Commission is strengthening its technological and institutional capacity to confront the growing sophistication of digital threats, particularly as generative AI tools have become increasingly accessible to individuals and organised groups.

“Today, elections can be undermined long before the first ballot is cast. The threat is no longer limited to physical interference, such as violent ballot snatching at polling units. It takes shape within digital networks through synthetic media, automated misinformation and disinformation,” he said.

The INEC chairman, who said he adjusted his ongoing nationwide zonal readiness assessment to attend the summit, described information manipulation as an increasingly dangerous dimension of election management.

He identified deepfake fabrication, digital micro-targeting and foreign information manipulation and interference as emerging threats capable of undermining public confidence in electoral institutions.

Amupitan noted that technologies previously associated with state-level intelligence capabilities, including high-fidelity voice cloning, hyper-realistic video synthesis and automated bot networks, could now be deployed at relatively negligible costs.

Capabilities that once required state-level intelligence resources, such as high-fidelity voice cloning of public figures, hyper-realistic video synthesis of election officials making false announcements, or automated bot networks simulating organic public outrage, are now accessible at negligible costs,” he warned.

He recalled that Nigeria’s electoral technology had evolved over the years, citing the introduction of the Smart Card Reader during the tenure of former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, and its subsequent evolution into the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

He argued that Nigeria could not afford to ignore artificial intelligence, stressing that refusing to embrace emerging technologies would not shield the country from their potential dangers.

“Any country or institution that folds its arms and does not begin to address the dangers posed by AI is planning to fail,” he declared.

However, the INEC chairman cautioned that technology alone could not guarantee credible elections, insisting that the integrity of those deploying it remained equally important.

Quoting a definition of law given to him by one of his professors, he said: “Law is the honest application of honest rules by honest people.”

He maintained that artificial intelligence could strengthen democracy when responsibly deployed but could also become a destructive instrument in the hands of dishonest individuals.

The chairman further disclosed that leading global technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Meta, were still grappling with the rapidly evolving challenges associated with artificial intelligence.

He said discussions at an international colloquium in Canada had reinforced the understanding that no technological solution could permanently eliminate AI-related threats.

One of his major concerns, he explained, was the possibility of malicious actors using artificial intelligence to manufacture election results and circulate fake announcements before INEC officially declares outcomes.

He warned that fabricated audio recordings, videos and documents could be circulated to create the impression that election officials had announced results, cancelled elections or postponed voting in strategic locations.

Such false announcements, he said, could mislead voters, heighten political tensions and trigger violence before the Commission completes its collation and announcement procedures.

Amupitan emphasised that INEC remained the legally authorised institution responsible for announcing official election results but acknowledged the difficulty of preventing individuals from circulating fabricated figures across social media platforms.

“Because of the danger of AI, it is possible for anybody in his room or her room to just begin to put results, AI-generated results that are not derived from authentic results that come from the polling unit,” he said.

He also raised concerns about the potential exploitation of legally restricted campaign periods to circulate fabricated political materials when opportunities for immediate rebuttal might be limited.

Citing the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, the INEC chairman recalled how an AI-generated audio recording purportedly capturing senior political figures discussing plans to buy votes and manipulate the election circulated shortly before voting.

He warned that similar tactics could be deployed in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections through cloned voices, manipulated videos and fabricated campaign materials designed to damage candidates or electoral institutions.

Amupitan specifically referenced Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides for the conclusion of political campaigns 24 hours before polling day, warning that the campaign blackout could be exploited to spread disinformation.

The chairman also identified the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as another area vulnerable to digital manipulation.

He listed potential threats to include fake operational directives, fraudulent registration portals and manipulated claims about voter registration figures and updates to the voters’ register.

He said although INEC had expanded online registration to improve accessibility, the Commission was reviewing security concerns associated with web-based registration and encouraging safer application-based procedures.

In another significant disclosure, Amupitan said INEC was deploying ChatGPT to strengthen its institutional response to misinformation and improve strategic crisis communication.

He added that the Commission was collaborating with international partners, including the European Union, to establish a coordinated communication network capable of responding swiftly to false information and emerging electoral threats.

According to him, INEC was also building internal capacity across its information and communications technology, voter education and communications departments to monitor public information channels, identify coordinated manipulation and verify suspicious digital content.

He disclosed that the Commission already had memoranda of understanding with some major technology companies, particularly TikTok, while seeking stronger collaboration with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram and X, formerly Twitter.

The objective, he explained, was to establish rapid-response mechanisms that would enable INEC to identify and counter false information before it spreads widely.

He warned that conventional fact-checking might no longer be sufficient because manipulated content could circulate within minutes, while official corrections might take hours to reach the same audience.

“Our primary concern is that while technology evolves at the speed of light, the truth often travels at the speed of trust,” he said.

Amupitan also highlighted the danger of what he described as the “liar’s dividend”, whereby the widespread circulation of AI-generated fabrications makes citizens increasingly suspicious of genuine evidence, including authentic recordings and official communications.

He called for a coordinated national response involving INEC, security agencies, telecommunications providers, media organisations, civil society groups, independent fact-checkers and social media companies.

He urged technology platforms to establish fast-track procedures for reviewing and addressing demonstrably manipulated electoral content that violates their policies.

Telecommunications companies and media organisations, he added, should maintain reliable communication channels for broadcasting verified institutional alerts without unnecessary administrative delays.

He also called for independent journalists and fact-checkers to have direct access to designated INEC communication desks to verify operational information within minutes rather than hours.

The chairman urged security agencies to distinguish between legitimate political expression and actionable digital crimes capable of destabilising public order.

Addressing journalists, he said the media must assume a frontline role in protecting electoral information integrity.

Speed is important, but accuracy is the currency of democracy,” he declared.

He further urged civil society organisations to help bridge the digital literacy gap, particularly in rural communities where voters could be more vulnerable to sophisticated information manipulation.

On voter education, Amupitan said Nigerians must be taught not only how to vote but also how to identify and verify electoral information.

He advocated the production of short educational videos in local languages and Nigerian Pidgin, particularly for distribution through WhatsApp, to help voters distinguish genuine INEC announcements from AI-generated videos, cloned audio recordings and fabricated electoral documents.

He also endorsed pre-bunking, an approach that involves educating citizens about common misinformation tactics before false information begins circulating.

The INEC chairman said the Commission would strengthen its digital infrastructure, improve real-time monitoring and establish effective incident escalation procedures to prevent manipulated information from undermining public confidence.

He insisted that protecting the 2027 elections would require more than technological investments, stressing that institutional transparency, public trust and stakeholder cooperation remained indispensable.

“AI cannot police the truth alone,” he said, calling for a united national front to defend electoral information integrity.

The two-day summit was organised under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EUSDGN III) framework and brought together electoral officials, media executives, security institutions, political parties, civil society organisations and technology stakeholders.

Those in attendance included the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, representatives of the International Press Centre (IPC), the Centre for Media and Society and other democratic governance partners.

Former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, was also among the distinguished participants.

Amupitan described Jega as a source of encouragement, acknowledging the enormous responsibility associated with managing Nigeria’s electoral process.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the INEC chairman said the Commission was determined to protect the credibility of the ballot against emerging threats capable of manipulating voters, distorting results and weakening confidence in democratic institutions.

The development signals an expanding dimension of election preparedness, with INEC acknowledging that the battle for electoral credibility will extend beyond polling units and collation centres to smartphones, social media platforms and the wider digital information space.