New Delhi: Amid growing concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic content in political campaigns, the Election Commission of India (EC) has issued a new advisory outlining strict disclosure rules for such materials ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections.
In its directive, the Election Commission (EC) highlighted the growing trend of hyper-realistic synthetic content depicting political leaders delivering “electorally sensitive messages.” Such content, the poll body warned, distorts fair competition and undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
The EC described the dissemination of such content as a “serious threat and challenge” capable of masquerading as truth and misleading voters. It warned that employing AI to generate or manipulate political messages could unintentionally lead political stakeholders to wrong conclusions, thereby undermining public trust in free and fair elections.
The Election Commission emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability to safeguard the integrity of elections. It reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring fair campaigning conditions, which are vital for a healthy democratic process.
Under the new guidelines, all political parties, candidates, and campaign representatives are required to clearly label any AI-generated or digitally altered images, videos, or audio used in their campaigns. Labels such as “AI-Generated,” “Digitally Enhanced,” or “Synthetic Content” must be prominently displayed.
The directive specifies that the label must occupy at least 10% of the visible display area. For audio content, it should appear during the first 10% of its duration, while in videos, the label must be placed on the top band of the screen. Additionally, every piece of such content must include the name of the entity responsible for its creation in its metadata or caption.
Bihar will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.
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