Ahead of the 2027 election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained how artificial intelligence will be used to fight the spread of fake news, manage risks, and improve the overall conduct of the polls.Â
The commission said it has now set up a special Artificial Intelligence division under its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department to carry out this task.
INEC made the decision during a meeting held on Thursday, where it reviewed how AI can help improve the electoral process.
The electoral umpire said AI will help it take faster and better decisions, track risks, and handle data more efficiently.
With this, INEC hopes to deliver a more transparent and better-organised election in 2027.
Part of the plan is to use AI to study and understand patterns that may cause problems before and during elections.
This includes using data to improve how election materials are shared and how polling units are located.
The system will also be able to detect false or misleading information and take early action to stop it from spreading.
INEC said the decision to adopt AI came after it attended various meetings with other election bodies in Africa.
