INEC create AI unit to strengthen electoral process

He said the commission held its regular weekly meeting, yesterday, and among other issues considered were the increasing relevance of AI to elections and electoral activities in Nigeria and across the world.

According to him, the AI Division, which is domiciled in the ICT Department, will also assist the commission with geo-spatial intelligence in support of logistic optimisation for better material distribution and polling unit allocation.

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“It will also enhance decision-making through data-driven insights, risk management and voter engagement. Furthermore, it will strengthen electoral credibility through predictive analytics, automation and intelligent safeguards,” said Olumekun.

He said the commission had recently attended several conferences with colleagues around the continent on the impact of AI on elections.

According to him, these interactions were not only motivated by the concern over the use of AI to spread fake news or manipulate content online but also to utilise its benefits for election planning and administration.

“Consequently, the commission approved the creation of an AI Division under the ICT Department to continue to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections.

“The division will enable the commission to better coordinate and maximise existing technology investments through centralized AI governance.

“This initiative puts the commission in the forefront of institutionalising AI capabilities within our ICT infrastructure. It is also an important step in our ongoing reform of the electoral process in areas that only require administrative action by the commission,” he explained.

INEC create AI unit to strengthen electoral process