INEC chairman says AI is not an enemy of democracy, but warns of deepfakes

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, says artificial intelligence (AI) is not an enemy of democracy, even though its misuse could create serious problems for elections.
What he said
Speaking at the Beyond the Ballot Summit in Abuja on Monday, 2 November 2026, Amupitan reportedly said election bodies around the world use machine-assisted processes to find duplicate records in large voter registers, plan logistics, analyse data and work more efficiently. However, he warned that generative AI has put powerful tools in the hands of people who want to disrupt elections or mislead voters, and that abilities which once needed a lot of money and technical skill can now be obtained very cheaply. He gave examples such as cloning the voices of public figures and creating realistic fake recordings of election officials making false announcements.
Background
His comments come days after INEC's ICT director admitted that some registration officers had entered AI-generated and poor-quality photos into the preliminary voter register, which was published online on 26 October. INEC says it detected the problem with its biometric identification system and is cleaning up the register before it is certified on 15 December. Opposition parties and civil society groups have called for a full audit, and ADC candidate Atiku Abubakar has demanded a forensic review. Amupitan had earlier announced that INEC would use AI in parts of the electoral system ahead of the 2027 elections.
Why it matters
Fake videos and audio have already been shared during the campaign, and several politicians have accused rivals of using deepfakes. Observers say voters will need to be careful about what they share as the January 2027 elections approach.
- Amupitan says AI helps find duplicate records and plan logistics.
- He warned about voice cloning and fake announcements.
- The voter register is due to be certified on 15 December.

