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This illustrated photo shows icons of Google's AI (artificial intelligence) app BardAI (or ChatBot) (CL), OpenAI's app ChatGPT (CR), and other AI apps displayed on a smartphone screen in Oslo on July 12, 2023. — File photo: Olivier Morin | Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Wednesday it is considering banning the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in campaign materials ahead of the 2025 elections.
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Comelec Chairman George Garcia confirmed the incident to INQUIRER.net in a text message.
“Yes, we will recommend to the Grand Court that the use of deepfakes be prohibited in election campaigns by candidates, party lists and political parties,” Garcia said.
He was responding to a question about whether he actually wanted to ban the use of AI in political campaigns ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
“At the very least, we can start the discussion and debate to come up with a policy on this issue,” he added.
In a May 28 memo, Garcia noted that AI technology and the threat of “deep fakes” are among the growing concerns among election management experts.
“By way of background, several heads of state, including our own President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., have been victims of AI deepfake videos designed to deceive viewers,” the memo read.
“The misuse of AI technology and 'deepfake' videos undermine the integrity of our elections and the credibility of public officials, candidates, and election officials,” the report said.
“The misuse of this technology in election materials, such as video, audio, or other media formats, may amount to fraudulent misrepresentation of a candidate,” the report said.
“This runs counter to the very purpose of election campaigns, which is to provide voters with full and truthful information about the election and the candidates,” the report concluded.
During the “Kapihan on Manila Bay” forum on Wednesday, some government officials expressed their views on the matter.
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Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the Commission on Elections needs to clarify in which parts of the election it plans to ban the use of AI.
AI is being used for a wide range of purposes, which could have both positive and negative impacts, he said.
“We need to narrow down what needs to be banned. Indeed, AI is a moving target. It is evolving every day and regulators like Comelec need to react quickly,” Gatchalian said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“They're looking at applications of AI and they know that by 2025 they have to figure out what AI is going to ruin our elections. Some applications might be good, some might be harmful. So they need to be specific.”
Unlike Gatchalian, however, the Comelec's proposal was questioned by former Caloocan Rep. Edgar Elise.
At the same forum, Erice expressed concern about possible flaws in regulating such proposals.
“How will it be regulated? If certain issues arise, the candidate will just say, 'That didn't come from me,' right?” he said in Filipino.
“It's the same with posters. They are banned here but some people continue to put them up. Then the candidate says, 'It's not me who is putting up posters, it's my opponents'.”
