INEC removes AI-generated photos from voters register
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Nigeria’s electoral commission has removed artificial intelligence-generated photos from the voters register and flagged staff involved in 10 states. The personnel face disciplinary action, Mohammed Kudu Haruna said at a seminar on artificial intelligence and the 2027 elections.
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed artificial intelligence-generated photos from the national voters register and identified staff involved in the practice in about 10 states, who will face disciplinary proceedings. INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna, chairman of the committee responsible for information and voter education, announced this on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation, according to Punch.
Mohammed Kudu Haruna said INEC could hardly prevent voters from retouching their own photographs before registration, but could intervene when its staff were involved. He said the names of the staff concerned had been recorded in about 10 states and that they had been reported for disciplinary sanctions, according to Punch.
INEC has also developed a policy on artificial intelligence and is still working to finalise it. Mohammed Kudu Haruna said the use of AI in electoral processes posed new challenges for which regulatory frameworks remained in development, according to Punch.
