Advisory on Use of AI-Generated Content in Elections
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an advisory to political parties concerning the responsible use of synthetically generated and AI-generated content ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for October 24, 2025.
Concerns Raised by ECI
- The misuse of hyper-realistic synthetically generated content, especially with political leaders in electorally sensitive messages, is disrupting fair electoral conditions.
- Technology's ability to alter and publish information poses a threat by masquerading as truth and misleading political stakeholders.
Guidelines on AI-Generated Content
- The ECI had previously issued guidelines in May for ethical use of social media and an advisory in January 2025 on labeling synthetic content.
- Political parties must label AI-altered images, audio, or video with tags like "AI-Generated" or "Synthetic Content" covering at least 10% of the visible area or duration.
- Video content should have labels on the top part of the screen.
- Content must disclose the responsible entity's name in metadata or captions.
- Unlawful or misleading content must not be published without consent.
Action on Non-compliance
- Synthetically generated content with misinformation on official party handles must be removed within three hours of detection or report.
- Political parties are required to maintain records of all AI-generated materials, including creator details and timestamps, for ECI verification.
