By Sandra Michaels
ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised the alarm over the growing threat of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
The electoral body warned that the malicious deployment of AI to fabricate audio, video, and image contents has transcended theoretical limits, becoming a present and potent danger to the electoral process.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, made this known in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking at the opening of a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) from across the federation, Haruna pointed out that emerging technologies have made fabricated materials cheaper, harder to detect, and increasingly weaponized to disseminate conflicting narratives to different voter demographics.
The workshop was themed: “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027.”
In her welcome remarks, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, underscored the critical role of PAOs in shaping public perception of the commission. She hinted that robust training programs are currently at advanced stages of planning with the backing of development partners.
Corroborating her stance, the Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Mr. Wilfred Ifogah, explained that the capacity-building session was structured to streamline escalation protocols with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
He added that the training is designed to foster uniform writing standards, equip officers to effectively counter fake news, and promote the ethical application of AI in institutional communication.
