2027 ELECTIONS: INEC REMOVES AI-GENERATED PHOTOS, BEGINS STAFF PROBE
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed artificial intelligence-generated photographs discovered on the national voters’ register and identified officials involved in the practice across 10 states for disciplinary action.
INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation, titled, ‘AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote’.
Haruna, who also chairs the commission’s Information and Voter Education Committee, described the development as a major challenge, revealing that the commission had already removed AI-generated images identified on the voters’ register.
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However, he acknowledged that INEC had limited control over how members of the public manipulated or enhanced their photographs before uploading them during voter registration.
The commissioner said the commission had also uncovered cases involving its own personnel and was taking steps to address the violations.
“We have already seen one of the challenges, which is that a lot of AI-generated photographs were posted onto the voters’ register, which, as we have said, we have had to take down,” he said.
Haruna explained that although preventing members of the public from altering their photographs before submission could be difficult, the commission had greater control over violations involving its staff.
“But the ones involving our own staff, where it is our own staff that did so, that one is within our control. We are in the process of addressing it. They have been flagged,” he stated.
He disclosed that INEC had identified the officials involved across approximately 10 states, adding that they would face disciplinary measures.
“We have their names across about 10 states, and obviously, they are going to face disciplinary action,” he added.
On the commission’s preparedness to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections, Haruna said INEC had developed an AI policy but was working towards finalising it.
He noted that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence had presented regulatory challenges for governments worldwide, including those in developed countries.
According to him, the constantly evolving nature of the technology had made it difficult for governments to establish comprehensive and specific regulatory frameworks.
“As you know very well, it is new territory out there. Even the most advanced countries don’t have what you might call concrete, specific policies about AI because these things are evolving,” he said.
Haruna, however, assured that INEC had developed strategies for deploying and regulating the technology and would soon finalise its policy for public scrutiny.
“But we have at least some ideas of what we want to do and how we want to use that. We have that policy. Very soon, we will concretise it, and we will be able to share it with the media,” he said.
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