AI not enemy of democracy, says INEC Chairman Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has defended the integration of Artificial Intelligence in electoral management, asserting that technology is not an inherent enemy of democracy.

Speaking in Abuja at The Beyond the Ballot Summit, Amupitan noted that AI offers vital tools to enhance administrative efficiency, streamline voter registration, optimize logistics planning, and manage large voter databases.

However, the INEC chairman issued a strong warning regarding the malicious exploitation of generative AI tools, highlighting risks that could undermine public trust ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Artificial Intelligence, AI, is not an enemy of democracy,” Amupitan stated.

“However, the rabid democratisation of generative AI models has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for malicious actors... 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.”

The growing accessibility of generative AI has intensified concerns surrounding the rapid spread of misinformation, deepfakes, and fabricated audio-visual content designed to mislead voters or impersonate election administrators.

These concerns were further compounded by recent database integrity issues, following the discovery of suspicious, potentially AI-generated photographs within INEC’s preliminary Register of Voters in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

Addressing the irregularities, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, explained that some of the questionable records were tied to procedural breaches allegedly introduced by registration officers with system access.

Despite these vulnerabilities, INEC leadership emphasized that the commission is actively putting robust safeguards in place to balance technological innovation with stringent cybersecurity measures, ensuring that the 2027 electoral process remains transparent, secure, and credible.