Daijiworld Media Network – Patna

Patna, Oct 25: Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday issued an advisory cautioning political parties against the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tools in election campaigns, warning that such content poses a serious threat due to its ability to masquerade as truth.

The advisory comes amid complaints from parties alleging that rivals were spreading misinformation using AI. While ECI had previously issued guidelines in May 2024 and January 2025, the latest advisory largely reiterates these instructions, emphasizing that depicting political leaders with electorally sensitive messages using AI contaminates the level playing field.

The poll panel, acting under Article 324 of the Constitution, highlighted that synthetically generated or AI-altered images, audio, or videos used for campaigning must carry a clear and prominent label, such as “AI-generated”, “digitally enhanced”, or “synthetic content”. Labels must cover at least 10 per cent of the visible display area for visuals or the first 10 per cent of audio duration, and for videos, appear at the top-hand portion of the screen. Every such content must also disclose the name of the entity responsible in metadata or captions.

“No content shall be published or forwarded which is unlawful and misrepresents the identity, appearance, or voice of any person without consent in a manner likely to mislead or deceive the electorate,” the advisory stressed.

The commission further directed that any AI-generated or altered content, misinformation, or manipulated material detected on official party handles should be taken down within three hours of discovery or reporting. Parties are also required to maintain internal records of all AI-generated campaign material, including creator details and timestamps, for verification by the EC.

Voting in Bihar is scheduled for November 6 and 11, making the timely compliance of parties crucial.