JUST IN: INEC defends AI use ahead of 2027 elections, promises safeguards

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) —  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, saying the technology could improve electoral planning, voter education, cybersecurity and results management.

The commission’s position comes amid concerns from opposition parties and other stakeholders over the credibility of the electoral process and whether INEC can deploy emerging technologies transparently and effectively.

In a statement on Wednesday, INEC said it was committed to adopting AI responsibly, with safeguards to protect electoral integrity, fairness and public trust.

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“From voter registration and election planning to results management, artificial intelligence presents new possibilities for improving Nigeria’s electoral processes,” the commission said.

INEC Highlights AI’s Potential in Elections

The commission made the remarks following the second plenary session of the AI and Democracy Forum 2026, which focused on the theme, “Artificial Intelligence in Elections: Emerging Use Cases, Lessons Learned, and Critical Issues for Electoral Integrity.”

The session examined practical applications of AI in elections and the measures needed to protect the credibility of electoral processes.

Participants included INEC’s Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, and Google’s Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for West Africa, Adewolu Adene, who joined virtually.

The session was moderated by Dr Lisa Poggiali, Chief AI Advisor at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Discussions covered the potential use of AI in voter education, election administration, cybersecurity and the detection of misinformation.

Commission Acknowledges Need for Safeguards

The forum also examined concerns surrounding data protection, algorithmic bias, transparency and human oversight in the deployment of AI for electoral purposes.

INEC said the adoption of the technology ahead of the 2027 general elections must be guided by clear safeguards to ensure that improvements in efficiency do not undermine accountability, fairness or public confidence.

However, the statement did not specify which AI systems the commission intends to deploy in 2027, how they would be used or what oversight mechanisms would govern their application.

-NPA