ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has proposed new safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence to mislead voters, including restrictions on deepfakes, manipulated campaign material and artificially generated online engagement.
Under draft amendments to its Code of Conduct for Political Parties, parties, candidates, election agents and supporters would be prohibited from creating or sharing AI-generated or altered content that could mislead voters about its authenticity or falsely portray someone’s words, actions or likeness.
Campaign material created or substantially modified with AI—including images, videos, audio and synthetic voices—would need a clear, prominent label identifying it as AI-generated or AI-assisted. The content would also have to comply with election laws and the code of conduct.
The proposal would ban deepfakes used to produce false, defamatory or derogatory depictions or statements involving candidates, party leaders, supporters, election officials, judges, members of the armed forces or other state officials. Parties and candidates would also be barred from using bots or automated accounts to inflate likes, comments, shares or followers and create a misleading impression of public backing.
AI-generated robocalls and voice-cloned messages used to contact voters would have to disclose at the start that they were produced using AI. Parties and candidates would also be required to keep records of AI-assisted campaign content and provide them to the ECP when requested.
Media and observers included in draft code
The proposed provisions also set out responsibilities for media organisations, journalists, newspapers, broadcasters and social media influencers. They would have to label AI-generated or manipulated election-related material when publishing, broadcasting or circulating it, and would be prohibited from using deepfakes to misrepresent individuals covered by the draft rules.
Media outlets could use AI for election coverage, including content production, translation, anchoring and analysis, provided they disclose its use and remain accountable for the material’s accuracy and authenticity.
The draft assigns monitoring responsibilities to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, the Social Media Protection Regulatory Authority and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency. They would be expected to act on violations and report their actions to the ECP. Media organisations and platforms could also be directed by the commission or another regulator to remove or correctly label undisclosed or misleading AI content.
Election observers would be required to report suspected AI-generated disinformation, including deepfake videos and synthetic audio, to the ECP without sharing it further. They would also be prohibited from using AI to fabricate or alter observations, evidence or reports submitted to the commission.
The ECP said the proposals reflected its constitutional duty to ensure elections are conducted honestly, justly and fairly, and to guard against corrupt practices and manipulation. The draft amendments have been published on the commission’s website and circulated to stakeholders for feedback. Submissions are due to the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad by **November 20, 2026**.
