ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s electoral commission is investigating allegations of campaign violations for the use of Artificial Intelligence, a member of the electoral body said on Friday.
Videos and photographs of alleged violations such as early campaigning or defamation are investigated by the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) cybersecurity team or are sent to the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS).
“Using these two methods, we can verify if the videos and photos submitted are real or made by Artificial Intelligence,” Hassan Zaer, a member of IHEC’s press team, told Rudaw.
Saja al-Bayati, a member of the Tafawuq Alliance, was barred from running after a member of parliament submitted video and photo evidence alleging she violated the code of conduct.
“I am appealing the decision because the claim was based on videos and photos circulated on social media that were generated by AI,” she told Rudaw on Wednesday.
The official campaign period has not begun yet, but so far the commission has barred close to 800 candidates due to violations or ties with the outlawed Ba’ath party.
Of a total of 796 candidates disqualified by IHEC, 74 have been reinstated after their appeals were approved.
A total of 370 of the disqualified candidates were barred from running due to alleged ties to the Ba’ath Party, which ruled the country from 1968 until 2003 when the US-led invasion ousted longtime dictator Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi parliamentary elections will take place on November 11.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this article.
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