The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said it is considering a ban on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, particularly the use of “deepfake” copies of candidates during the 2025 midterm polls.

In a memorandum dated 28 May, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia raised the “growing concern” among several election management experts in various jurisdictions on the threat of the emerging technology as a tool to deceive voters and candidates.

A “deepfake” is an image or recording that has been altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something.

“I will convince our commission en banc to ban the use of deepfakes and AI in the campaign because there’s a lot of confusion, misrepresentation, a lot of untruths that happen when they are used,” Garcia said in an ambush interview.

3M voters added

The number of eligible voters for the May 2025 midterm elections has increased by more than three million, according to the Comelec.

The total number of voter applicants reached 3,210,523 as of 28 May, the latest Comelec data showed.

Overall, CALABARZON had the biggest number of processed applications at 568,411.

This was followed by Metro Manila with 463,364; Central Luzon with 372,090; and Central Visayas with 218,329.

The poll body’s main office in Intramuros processed 5,443 applications. The Comelec will accept new voter applications until 30 September. It earlier said it would not extend the voting registration.

“We know about modern technology. Why not? But you should be seen by the people during the campaign,” Garcia said.

The Comelec head said the abuse of technology undermines the integrity of elections and the credibility of public officials, candidates, and election management authorities.

The abuse of this technology in campaign materials, such as videos, audio, or other media forms, he added, may amount to fraudulent misrepresentation of candidates.

“This defeats the very purpose of a campaign, which is to fully and truthfully inform the voting public about the elections and the candidates,” Garcia said in the memorandum.