INEC, CSOs, Journalists Trained In AI Election Risks

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) journalists, civil society organisations (CSOs) and security agencies have received training on the use of artificial intelligence and safeguards against its potential threats to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The training was organised as part of efforts to prepare key institutions for the opportunities and risks associated with AI ahead of the elections.

The executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, disclosed this in an interview with LEADERSHIP Friday on the sidelines of the two-day AI Democracy Forum in Abuja.

The forum, themed, “Will Algorithms Determine the 2027 Vote? Safeguarding Nigeria’s 2027 General Election in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” brought together election experts, security agencies, electoral officials, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

It was organised by Yiaga Africa, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development and the Datahpyte Foundation.

Itodo said the organisers introduced specialised masterclasses after identifying the need to equip institutions with the knowledge required to maximise AI’s benefits while mitigating its dangers.

“One of the things that we found in the build-up to the AI and Democracy Forum was that most institutions require capacity-building on how to maximise the opportunities of AI and then mitigate its risks,” he said.

He explained that the training was tailored to the needs of different groups, including electoral officials, journalists, civil society organisations and security agencies.

According to him, Yiaga Africa worked with Microsoft to develop an AI 101 for Election Officials session to help INEC officials understand how artificial intelligence could be applied to election administration.

Journalists were trained in collaboration with Google on safeguards for reporting in the age of AI.

Civil society organisations and election observers also received training from the National Democratic Institute on monitoring the use of generative AI during elections.

Security agencies, he added, participated in a cybersecurity session.

Itodo said the masterclasses were designed to strengthen participants’ capacity to understand and respond to the challenges posed by emerging technologies.

“The masterclasses are really geared towards providing capacity development because, for the most part, the participants came to the ADF to learn,” he said.