As Bihar gears up for the upcoming assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced stringent measures to curb the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic media in political campaigning. Concerned over the growing spread of hyper-realistic, AI-altered content, the ECI warned that such digital manipulation is “contaminating the level-playing field and misleading voters.” The Commission underscored that this form of misinformation “poses a deep threat and challenge because of its ability to masquerade as the truth.”
In a bid to ensure transparency, the ECI has directed all political parties and candidates to prominently disclose any AI-generated or digitally altered campaign material. Under the new rules, all synthetic content—whether image, video, or audio—must carry a visible label such as ‘AI-generated’, ‘digitally enhanced’, or ‘synthetic content’. The label must cover at least 10% of the visual area or be displayed during the initial part of the content. Additionally, the entity responsible for creating such material must be clearly identified in the metadata or accompanying caption.
The guidelines also make it mandatory for political parties and candidates to take down misleading or manipulated AI content from their official social media accounts within three hours of its detection or upon receiving a complaint. The move is intended to prevent the rapid spread of misinformation during the high-stakes election period.
Invoking its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, the ECI reaffirmed that transparency and accountability remain at the heart of a free and fair electoral process. It also reminded political entities to comply with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and earlier advisories on responsible digital conduct during campaigns.
The Commission’s directive aligns with the broader national effort to regulate AI-driven misinformation. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently proposed amendments to existing laws to strengthen safeguards against synthetically generated or altered information. Together, these measures signal a coordinated attempt by the government and the ECI to protect India’s democratic ecosystem from the emerging threats posed by AI-powered disinformation.
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