ECI conference trains media officers to counter AI-driven poll misinformation

The Election Commission of India (ECI) held its Third One-Day Conference for Media and Communication Officers, focused in part on training officials to counter AI-driven misinformation ahead of elections. The event brought together Media Nodal Officers, Social Media Nodal Officers, District Media Nodal Officers, District PROs and senior State Department of Public Relations officers from 10 States and Union Territories, totalling around 200 participants.

Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi told the gathering that AI, deepfakes and synthetic content meant to mislead are increasingly spread by motivated actors to erode public trust in institutions, and urged officers to counter such content using the Commission’s rules and guidelines.

Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar said the Commission’s actions are always based on the Constitution of India, electoral laws and transparent written instructions, and cautioned participants about false narratives on social media, calling for proactive engagement to prevent misinformation. He cited record voter turnouts in recent Assembly Elections as evidence of electors’ trust in the system.

The conference included sessions on communication strategy across the election cycle, ECINET and media-related laws, alongside practical training on press note amplification, misinformation response, and engaging young electors through Electoral Literacy Clubs. Participants also observed demonstrations of electoral roll preparation, polling and counting processes, followed by a Q&A with the Commission.