INEC CREATES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has created Artificial Intelligence Division in a bid to explore the potential of the new technology to boost elections and electoral activities in Nigeria. The Artificial Intelligence Division will operate under the ICT Department, and its mandate is to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections. The AI Division will enable the Commission to better coordinate and maximise existing technology investments through centralised governance. It will also enhance decision-making through data-driven insights, risk management and voter engagement. Furthermore, it will strengthen electoral credibility through predictive analytics, automation and intelligent safeguards. The Commission took the decision at its regular weekly meeting, held today, Thursday May 22, 2025. The move is the outcome of several conferences attended by INEC staff around the continent on the impact of AI on elections. These interactions were partly motivated by the concern over the use of AI to spread fake news or manipulate content online. The conferences also explored ways to utilise AI benefits for data-driven decision-making, risk detection and mitigation, deepening voter services automation and geo-spatial intelligence in support of logistic optimisation for better material distribution and polling unit allocation. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said the initiative puts the Commission in the forefront of institutionalising AI capabilities within its ICT infrastructure. He said it is also an important step in the ongoing reform of the electoral process in areas that only require administrative action by the Commission.