New Delhi, February 25 A group of experts representing international electoral institutions have said that expanding digitalization increases exposure to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, while "opaque automated systems" raise concerns about transparency and accountability.
They also felt that election bodies cannot afford to be reactive to technological disruption.
They noted that dependence on "external technological ecosystems" and uneven access to expertise further constrain institutional autonomy and widen disparities across jurisdictions.
They made these observations at an international symposium on 'AI and Elections: Innovation, Integrity and Institutional Preparedness', organized last week by the Election Commission's training arm, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).
According to details shared by IIIDEM, the panelists felt that artificial intelligence holds significant promise for electoral administration.
When thoughtfully deployed, AI can enhance voter facilitation, improve accessibility for marginalized and under-represented communities, optimize logistics and operational planning, strengthen data-informed decision-making, and modernize communication between institutions and citizens.
These applications can contribute to greater efficiency, responsiveness, and inclusivity within electoral systems.
"The discussions were equally attentive to the risks embedded within rapid technological adoption. The proliferation of misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes threatens the integrity of public discourse and, by extension, voter confidence," IIIDEM said.
Algorithmic bias, if insufficiently examined, may erode principles of equality and fairness.
Expanding digitalization increases exposure to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, while opaque automated systems raise legitimate concerns about transparency and accountability, it noted.
Dependence on external technological ecosystems and uneven access to expertise further constrain institutional autonomy and widen disparities across jurisdictions, it said citing proceedings of the symposium.
"Taken together, these concerns underscore a central institutional imperative: preparedness must precede, or at least accompany, technological integration. Ethical standards, regulatory clarity, operational safeguards, and sustained capacity-building are not peripheral considerations but foundational requirements," it said.
Electoral institutions cannot afford to be reactive to technological disruption and must actively shape the normative and operational frameworks within which such technologies are deployed, the experts felt.
The international panel included Alberto Fernandez Gibaja, head of programme, International IDEA, Juliane Muller, associate programme officer, International IDEA, Ameer Faiaz from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, Raghava Mutharaju, associate professor, IIT Palakkad, and Sumit Talwar, co-founder of CreativebitsAI.