The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on democracy, the rule of law, and its potential impact on future elections was at the center of debate in the House of Commons Systems Committee on Wednesday.
The MPs present expressed concern about Cyprus’ preparedness for interference through AI and expressed concern about external influences on information distributed through AI applications during the election period.
Committee Chair and Dicey MP Demetris Demetriou called on the government to establish effective protection mechanisms for users and called for the creation of control mechanisms over the use of the technology.
Vasiliki Toliga, a professor at the university specializing in political communication, stressed the need to amend current laws to meet new challenges posed by the increasing use of AI, warning that applications such as ChatGPT are often biased and cannot be considered “safe” for gathering information.
An official from the Digital Policy Department of the Ministry of Innovation said that work towards the regulation of AI has already begun and that relevant EU regulations are currently being discussed at both national and European level, especially in light of Cyprus’ upcoming Presidency of the EU Council.
A ministry representative said a study had been launched and a preliminary version was already in place to understand the current state of AI implementation on the island, identify the stakeholders involved and help develop a national legal framework.
Formal submission of the bill is scheduled for March 2026.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Administration and Human Rights Maria Stylianou Lotides and Commissioner for Information and Personal Data Protection Maria Christofidou have been appointed as supervisory authorities for regulatory matters, a representative of the ministry said.
Radio and television officials responsible for overseeing the implementation of the draft law regarding the provisions of the EU’s Digital Services Act were present, and measures were being taken to facilitate regulation.
Officials said the regulation is currently under review and steps are being developed to address the issues raised in the regulation. Additionally, a register was to be created listing monitored entities.
Nicolas Kalidis, Director of the Institute for Mass Media Research (IMME), focused on the human factor in the context of AI and emphasized the need for news literacy to help the public, including young people and the elderly, identify fake news, especially in the context of social media usage.
CyBC Director-General Thanasis Tsokos said the station aims to promote digital literacy so that users can learn about possibilities and risks from an early age, noting the need to develop a proposal to introduce relevant courses into the Ministry of Education’s curriculum.
A survey published in early October by the Cyprus Union of Journalists revealed that television and social media remain the main source of information for 72% of the population, with 44% highlighting misinformation and fake news as a major concern.
According to the survey results, online portals (45 percent) and radio (43 percent) are the third leading sources of information after television and social media. Printing presses remain at a low level of 15%.
Greek and foreign news outlets were the source for only 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
