The training on “Artificial Intelligence in Elections”, organized by IDEA International and funded by Microsoft and OpenAI, with the support of the Central Election Commission of Albania was launched today.
This is a three day training course and election body officials and representatives of civil society from Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Armenia, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Moldova and Georgia are participating. The aim of this training program is to provide election officials and civil society organizations with an in-depth understanding of AI, underlining its ethical and human rights implications in election administration.
The program aims to explore both the opportunities and risks of AI in election processes, with a particular focus on the protection of vulnerable and marginalized groups.
The State Election Commissioner, Mr. Ilirjan Celibashi regarded the activity as unique in terms of the topic it addresses, the timing, the location where it is held, and even more unique since OpenAI and Microsoft are supporting this activity.
The Commissioner underlined the fact that even though the use of Artificial Intelligence in elections is still in its early stages, the opportunities created by AI in election management are great.
“IA can help in fighting the growing problem of disinformation during elections. By analyzing online content, AI algorithms can quickly identify and flag false information, ensuring that voters receive reliable information. In addition, AI-powered chatbots can answer voters’ questions correctly and quickly, assisting the citizens in the electoral process. Another important application of AI is electoral data analysis. In big data volumes, IA can identify potential irregularities. These applications of AI, but not only, strengthen transparency and increase public trust in election results,” he stated.
Over the three- day training course, participants will learn how to effectively implement AI solutions within the framework of democratic governance, ensuring that technology consolidates rather than undermines the integrity of election management. Election officials will gain knowledge on five key topics: AI Fundamentals, AI Ethics and Human Rights, AI and Elections.
While artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced exponential growth in many sectors, its role and application in election administration remains largely unexplored. AI technologies have significant unexplored potential to improve the efficiency, fairness, inclusiveness, and credibility of election processes. In order to ensure the potential of AI is to the benefit of democracy, International IDEA has published a report on “Artificial Intelligence for Election Management,” which analyzes the associated risks and presents potential strategies for mitigating the potentially negative impacts of the technology.
Based on this report, International IDEA is now developing a structured training and dialogue program for the education of electoral stakeholders in five regions – Asia- the Pacific, the Western Balkans, Latin America, and Africa.
