University of Ottawa AI + Society and IVADO release a global policy brief on Artificial Intelligence

As the world grapples with the profound impact of artificial intelligence on democratic processes, a concerted global effort is underway to safeguard electoral integrity and uphold democracy in the face of AI-driven interference. With several dozen countries set to hold national elections in 2025, the need for action has become increasingly urgent, as exemplified by recent cases in Romania, Brazil, Gabon, and the United States, where the proliferation of fake news and deepfakes has eroded public confidence and compromised the quality of democratic debate. In response, academic experts from around the world have coalesced to propose a framework of four priority actions, including modernizing regulatory frameworks, adopting codes of conduct for AI use by political parties, establishing independent monitoring teams, and developing international protocols to counter AI-based electoral interference. This initiative, led by the University of Ottawa's AI + Society Initiative and IVADO, Canada's leading AI research consortium, aims to provide policymakers with actionable guidance on mitigating the risks posed by AI to democratic processes, and its recommendations have been outlined in a global policy brief, "AI in the Ballot Box: Four Actions to Safeguard Election Integrity and Uphold Democracy".