Comelec urged to draft COC on AI content ahead of 2025 polls

The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) on Tuesday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to draft a code of conduct on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content ahead of the 2025 polls.

In a statetement, while the NAMFREL recognized the AI’s potential to improve the electoral process, it also highlighted the times it has been misused and abused during the recent elections worldwide.

NAMFREL cited the rise of AI and deepfakes use in Indonesia during the Presidential elections held last February as well as the AI-generated deepfake campaign videos during the May 2024 elections in Turkiye.

The poll body earlier said it recommended to Comelec En Banc the prohibition on the use of deepfakes in the conduct of the campaign by candidates, party lists, and political parties.

NAMFREL, on the other hand, expressed its opposition to a ban on the use of AI as it argued it may curtail technological innovation, limit the benefits of AI in enhancing electoral processes, and infringe on freedom and speech.

The election watchdog instead recommended the Comelec to draft a code of conduct that will embody a set of ethical principles that all election stakeholders will be asked to adhere to.

Under the code of conduct, NAMFREL proposed that the use of Al in the generation of election-related content, including political advertisement, must be disclosed and such election-related content material appropriately marked. The disclosure must include funding sources, expenditures, Al technology used, data about the target audience and the source of such data.

“Transparency should extend across the Al ecosystem, from content creation to audience targeting, with social media platforms actively participating and adhering to a Code of Conduct,” NAMFREL noted.

Al-generated content must also not infringe on the suffrage, digital, and privacy rights of individuals.

Moreover, it also proposed that candidates and political parties should register their intention to use Al in campaigns and be open to auditing their Al-generated content.

“Al-generated content must be subject to review to detect discrimination based on race, gender, age, socio-economic status, religion, or other protected characteristics, with safeguards in place to prevent such biases. Any such Al-generated content that exhibits discrimination must not be published,” it added.

The poll body, it furthered, may also establish a committee or task force to monitor the use of AI in the generation of election-related content, including AI-generated political advertising with focus on detecting misinformation, disinformation, and deepfakes.