ECP AI Rules for Elections Warn Parties Against Deceiving Voters

ECP – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – The Election Commission of Pakistan has shared new ECP AI rules for elections to stop the misuse of artificial intelligence in campaigns. The draft aims to protect voters from fake videos, cloned voices and false online support.

The proposal changes the Code of Conduct for Political Parties. It says parties, candidates, election agents and supporters must not use AI to trick voters or twist what a person said or did.

Clear labels for AI content

Any campaign material made or heavily changed by AI must carry a clear and visible label. This includes images, videos, audio clips and synthetic voices.

The material must also follow election laws and the code of conduct.

The draft strictly bans deepfakes that show false, insulting or damaging versions of real people. This covers candidates, party leaders, supporters and election staff. It also covers judges, the armed forces and other state officials.

Bots and fake support are not allowed

Parties and candidates cannot use bots or automated accounts to build fake trends. This means no made-up likes, comments, shares or followers that give a false picture of public support.

If a party uses AI for phone calls or voice-cloned messages, it must say at the start that the content is AI-generated. This lets voters know they are not hearing a real person.

Parties and candidates must also keep records of all AI content used in the election period. They must hand over full details to the commission when asked.

What the rules mean for media

The draft does not stop at political parties. Newspapers, television channels, journalists and social media influencers must also label AI-made or edited election content. The label must appear when the content is aired, published or shared.

Media houses can still use AI for writing, translation, anchoring or analysis. However, they must tell their audience and stay responsible for accuracy.

Who will watch for violations

Pemra, the Social Media Protection Regulatory Authority and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency would monitor media and social platforms. They would look for AI election content that has no label.

These bodies must act against violations and send reports to the commission. If the ECP or another regulator orders it, media outlets and platforms must quickly remove the content or fix the label.

Observers face limits too

Election observers must stay alert to deepfakes, fake audio and AI-made false claims. They should report such cases to the ECP quickly and avoid sharing them further.

Observers also cannot use AI to create, change or polish their findings, photos, videos or reports. Their reports must be true and based on what they saw themselves.

The commission says AI is a new technology that affects everyone involved in elections. It points to its constitutional duty to hold honest, just and fair elections and to prevent corrupt practices, including misleading AI content.

The draft is now on the ECP website and has been sent to stakeholders. They can send feedback and suggestions to the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad by November 20, 2026.