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| Andrew Pope |
Campaigner Andrew Pope says:
"At the beginning of this month, before the local elections and Parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, I investigated and reported on an AI chatbot called DOLA AI giving out misleading information in relation to my election in Redbridge ward, Southampton.
I gave my investigation to a freelancer journalist working for The Sunday Times.
And I contacted the Electoral Commission. Their full response is below.
Today, over a fortnight after the elections in England, Scotland and Wales, The Times is reporting that AI chatbots were misleading voters in Scotland.
My investigation showed it happening in Southampton, here in England. Like I said to the journalist weeks ago, I had no doubt that it was not just in Southampton. To say again, this was BEFORE the elections.
And I have had it confirmed in writing directly to me by the Electoral Commission that the AI chatbots misleading voters is not just limited to here in Southampton.
It is a national scandal of misinformation of voters that could have led to changes in outcomes to elections across the whole of the UK.
The Electoral Commission told me they are "aware" but what did they do about it? I did not see any evidence of action.
Our democracy is under threat from tyrannical leaders in the USA, China and Russia.
And now, state actors and other malign actors are using AI chatbots to undermine democracy even more.
During the recent local elections, I uncovered election malpractice that was denied by Council staff and of which the Labour candidate in Redbridge saw no wrong, despite votes being in piles instead of in singles and folded, right before his eyes.
The Police investigated and said that "no offence" occurred, as reported by the Daily Echo. Obviously I would not have reported it, if I did not experience it for myself and with my team at the count.
I have proved yet again that it takes independents and the Independent Network to call this out - the big political parties cannot be trusted.
The UK Parliament needs to act to protect our democracy, and it needs to do it now. But the vast majority of the Members of Parliament are from the very corrupt parties that have led us to this. We are in big trouble."
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said:
"Further to your recent email about DOLA AI and the information that it provided in the run up to the recent local elections. I have forwarded your concerns to the team reviewing AI deepfakes for their consideration.
They have advised that they are aware of previous instances where AI chatbots have generated false or inaccurate information relating to elections, and we fully recognise the potential for such outputs to mislead voters and undermine confidence.
The Electoral Commission has taken this into consideration, and we always remind voters to engage carefully with online material. You can find more about what we are doing in this space here: Engaging with campaign material at elections | Electoral Commission?"
