Artificial Intelligence Assistants Provide ‘Misleading and Partial’ Election Guidance, Claims Netherlands Regulator

AI assistants have been shown to be “inaccurate and evidently prejudiced” when providing election recommendations, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has reported, issuing warnings about a potential threat to democratic processes just eight days before national elections.

Study Shows Consistent Bias in Chatbot Recommendations

The quartet of AI assistants evaluated by the AP “frequently recommend identical two parties”, irrespective of the voter’s inquiry or input, the regulator noted in a report published ahead of the 29 October election.

For over 50% of instances, the AI recommended either the right-wing PVV of Geert Wilders or the progressive GroenLinks-PvdA headed by the former European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans.

Some parties, such as the centre-right CDA, “are rarely ever cited”, despite the fact that the user’s input precisely aligns with the positions of these political entities, the report pointed out.

Official Warns Against Relying on AI Assistants for Election Advice

The deputy head of the AP, Monique Verdier, stated that while chatbots may seem like clever tools, “for election guidance, they repeatedly fall short”. Citizens were being steered toward a party that might not correspond to their ideological beliefs, she emphasized.

“This directly impacts a fundamental pillar of democracy: the integrity of free and fair elections,” Verdier stated. “We thus caution against employing AI assistants for election recommendations, as their functioning is opaque and hard to confirm.”

Election Context and Political Landscape

The Dutch head to the polls on October 29 in an electoral contest that will be closely watched across the continent for the performance of the PVV.

The far-right party of Wilders is ahead in surveys but the gap to the GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA appears to be narrowing, with numerous electors still undecided.

All major parties have rejected a coalition with the Freedom party, implying the party that comes second is most likely to provide the next prime minister.

Inadvertent Prejudice Attributed to AI Operation

The AP stressed that the bots were not deliberately biased, and that their “noted flaws” are a result of the way AI chatbots operate.