Artificial Intelligence Assistants Provide ‘Misleading and Partial’ Election Guidance, States Dutch Watchdog

AI chatbots have been shown to be “unreliable and clearly biased” when offering voting advice, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has stated, raising alarms about a possible risk to democratic processes just eight days before national elections.

Study Shows Consistent Bias in AI Suggestions

The four chatbots tested by the AP “often end up with the same two parties”, irrespective of the voter’s inquiry or input, the regulator noted in a report released ahead of the 29 October election.

For over 50% of instances, the AI recommended either the far-right Freedom party (PVV) of the politician Geert Wilders or the leftwing GroenLinks-PvdA headed by the ex-EU commissioner Frans Timmermans.

Some parties, such as the centre-right CDA, “are almost never mentioned”, even when the user’s input exactly matches the positions of these parties, the study pointed out.

Official Warns Against Relying on AI Assistants for Voting Guidance

The vice-chair of the data protection agency, Monique Verdier, stated that while chatbots may seem like clever tools, “as a voting aid, they consistently fail”. Voters were being pushed toward a political group that might not correspond to their political views, she added.

“This immediately affects a fundamental pillar of democracy: the integrity of free and fair elections,” Verdier stated. “We therefore warn against using AI chatbots for election recommendations, as their functioning is opaque and difficult to verify.”

Election Context and Political Landscape

Netherlands citizens vote on 29 October in an election that will be closely watched across the continent for the performance of the Freedom party.

The right-leaning group of Geert 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 ruled out an alliance with the PVV, meaning the party that comes second is most likely to supply the future head of government.

Unintentional Bias Attributed to Chatbot Functioning

The AP emphasised that the bots were not deliberately biased, and that their “identified shortcomings” are a result of the manner in which AI assistants function.