Bihar elections 2025: How ECI and parties are tackling AI menace

ROughly 2 weeks before the Bihar assemblage elections, the Election direction of bharat (ECI) released a subject advisory on the subject of “responsible use and disclosure of synthetically generated information and AI-generated content during elections.” Through this advisory, the ECI took cognisance of certain violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and other legal provisions, done by political parties and/or their representatives while using social media for election campaigning. While reminding parties and political operatives about ethics and the legal framework, the advisory also directed parties to “promptly remove” AI-powered audio/video or misinformation within three hours of being notified of such malpractices.Suppose any synthetically generated or AI-altered image, audio, or video is used for campaigning purposes. In that case, it should have a legible label such as ‘AI-Generated’, ‘Digitally Enhanced’, or ‘Synthetic Content’, covering at least 10% of the visible display area (or initial 10% duration for audio content), according to the advisory. It should also prominently disclose the name of the entity responsible for its generation in the metadata or accompanying caption.“The crime cell under the Director General of Police (DGP), the Economic Offences Unit (EOU), and the media monitoring cell of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar are working in conjunction to monitor and enforce the advisory issued by ECI,” an official spokesperson of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar, told HT. “Since the advisory was released, parties have become vigilant, and we have seen a number of reports come in; we are dealing with them promptly. We will release the exact number of cases registered at the appropriate time.”How do AI crisis and ECI guidelines affect ground politics?“The advisory was absolutely necessary, and it will safeguard the integrity of the election. We are following it to the fullest. AI is a new, powerful technology, and, unfortunately, it’s being used to deceive voters,” Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, national spokesperson of Janta Dal (United), told HT. “We are doing our best, but better prevention requires unanimous effort from all political parties involved.”The three-hour rule for the content being taken down, as directed by the advisory, can effectively solve the problem, but it also requires prompt efforts from the parties, according to Prasad. “They remove it in three hours, which is excellent. But three hours are still enough to do substantial damage, and vigilance is key.”Among the first cases: ArariaOn Sunday, a Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) candidate lodged a complaint with the district magistrate’s (DM) office in Bihar’s Araria about an AI-generated video on social media that could harm his campaign. The DM’s office told HT that the case was investigated, and the video, as per ECI’s recent advisory, was successfully removed within three hours; the perpetrator was found to have no links with any political party. An FIR was later filed against the perp – pursuant to the IT Act 2021.Use of AI in earlier electionsAccording to a 2024 report in PBS, an American news service, political parties in India spent an estimated $50 million on authorised AI-generated content for targeted communication with their constituencies in the 2024 general elections.As per an August 2025 report in the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) – a Canadian think tank and research organisation – diverse countries (such as India) relied upon AI to create content designed to misguide voters, defame candidates, or prop up unrealistic images of political parties. For instance, in elections across India, Indonesia, and Mexico, AI was used to create defamatory images of female candidates, specifically building and amplifying misogynistic stereotypes.On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used AI to translate campaign speeches into more than 100 languages to diverse constituents across the country. According to the same report, this underlines how these technological advancements can be beneficial to democracy if they are used transparently.