🔗 Share this article Artificial Intelligence Assistants Provide ‘Misleading and Partial’ Election Guidance, States Netherlands Regulator AI assistants have been shown to be “unreliable and clearly biased” when offering voting advice, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has reported, raising alarms about a potential threat to democratic processes just over a week before the country’s general election. Study Shows Repeated Partiality in AI Suggestions The four chatbots tested by the authority “often end up with the same two parties”, irrespective of the user’s question or command, the regulator explained in a analysis released ahead of the 29 October election. For over 50% of instances, the chatbot suggested either the far-right Freedom party (PVV) of the politician Geert Wilders or the progressive GroenLinks-PvdA headed by the former European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans. Some parties, such as the moderate CDA, “are rarely ever cited”, even when the user’s input exactly matches the stances of these parties, the report indicated. Authority Figure Cautions Against Relying on AI Assistants for Election Advice The deputy head of the AP, the official Monique Verdier, commented that while chatbots may seem like clever tools, “for election guidance, they repeatedly fall short”. Citizens were being steered toward a political group that did not necessarily align with their ideological beliefs, she emphasized. “This immediately affects a cornerstone of democracy: the integrity of free and fair elections,” said Verdier. “We therefore warn against employing AI assistants for voting advice, as their functioning is opaque and hard to confirm.” Election Context and Party Dynamics The Dutch head to the polls on 29 October in an electoral contest that will be closely watched across the continent for the performance of the PVV. The far-right party of Geert Wilders is leading the polls but the lead over the GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA seems to be closing, with many voters still undecided. Every significant political faction have rejected a coalition with the PVV, implying the party that comes second is highly probable to supply the future head of government. Inadvertent Prejudice Attributed to AI Operation The AP emphasised that the bots were not deliberately biased, and that their “identified shortcomings” are a consequence of the way AI chatbots operate.