🔗 Share this article Artificial Intelligence Assistants Deliver ‘Misleading and Partial’ Election Guidance, Claims Dutch Watchdog AI assistants are proving to be “unreliable and clearly biased” when providing election recommendations, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has stated, issuing warnings about a potential threat to democratic processes just eight days before the country’s general election. Testing Reveals Repeated Partiality in AI Suggestions The quartet of AI assistants tested by the authority “often end up with the same two parties”, regardless of the user’s question or command, the regulator noted in a analysis published ahead of the 29 October election. In more than half of the cases, the AI recommended either the far-right Freedom party (PVV) of Geert Wilders or the leftwing GroenLinks-PvdA led by the ex-EU commissioner Frans Timmermans. Some parties, such as the centre-right CDA, “are almost never mentioned”, despite the fact that the user’s input exactly matches the stances of these parties, the study pointed out. Authority Figure Cautions Against Using AI Chatbots for Voting Guidance The deputy head of the AP, the official Monique Verdier, stated that while chatbots may seem like clever tools, “as a voting aid, they consistently fail”. Citizens were being steered toward a party that might not correspond to their ideological beliefs, she added. “This immediately affects a cornerstone of democracy: the integrity of free and fair elections,” Verdier stated. “We therefore warn against using AI chatbots for voting advice, as their operation is unclear and difficult to verify.” Voting Background and Political Landscape The Dutch head to the polls on 29 October in an election that will be closely watched around Europe for the showing of the PVV. The far-right party of Geert Wilders is leading the polls 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, implying the party that comes second is most likely to supply the future head of government. Inadvertent Prejudice Attributed to Chatbot Functioning The AP stressed that the bots were not deliberately biased, and that their “noted flaws” are a result of the manner in which AI assistants function.