AI for Electoral Actors

The AI for Electoral Actors project, implemented by International IDEA with support from Microsoft and OpenAI’s joint Societal Resilience Fund committed via the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in the 2024 Elections, seeks to equip electoral management bodies (EMBs), civil society, and the media with an increased awareness and understanding of artificial intelligence’s (AI) role in elections.  

While advancements in AI are significantly impacting many sectors, the technologies’ role in elections remains conflicted. AI holds a dual potential, on one hand it risks disrupting the political information environment, raising human rights concerns and reiterating discrimination of marginalized groups (particularly women and members of the LGBTQI+ community), and eroding trust in democratic institutions and procedures. 

On the other hand, it holds untapped potential to improve electoral processes through providing secure, reliable and efficient support to electoral management, essentially yielding the possibility of making elections more fair, inclusive and accessible. This duality calls for an increase in the understanding of the capabilities, risks and challenges presented by AI, particularly among EMBs.  

To meet this challenge, International IDEA is conducting a series of executive trainings for EMBs, civil society and media representatives to foster literacy on AI technologies and raise awareness for its human rights implications and ethical considerations in the context of elections. The executive trainings will help better prepare stakeholders to approach the use of AI for elections with a specific focus on democratic governance, human rights, and improving electoral processes, especially for marginalized communities.  

International IDEA will conduct a total of five workshops, one taking place each in Kuala Lumpur, Tirana, Johannesburg, Abidjan, and Rio de Janeiro (TBC). Each workshop is tailored to highlight the context-specific impact of AI, featuring regional experts on AI regulation and inviting participants to share their lived experiences of the technologies.  

Updates on the project will be posted to this site over the course of the project timeline. 

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