Member State Exchange on Artificial Intelligence and Elections

On the 1st of December 2025, International IDEA hosted a virtual Member State Exchange on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Elections. The discussion built on previous exchanges among Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) and examined how Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) are exploring ways to harness AI to strengthen their work while staying cognizant of its risks, and mitigating the ways other political actors, within or beyond national borders, use AI to disrupt elections.

The Member State Exchange convened over 80 participants from electoral authorities, civil society organizations, and academic institutions from across the world. Discussions emphasized that AI has significantly changed the electoral cycle, particularly in the information environment, as it has empowered non-EMB actors with AI tools to influence public opinion, creating new paradigms for how EMBs manage elections. Facing this shift, International IDEA invited EMBs to share how they are using AI for election management, what vulnerabilities exist, and how they address them.

During the opening remarks, International IDEA’s Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora, highlighted the importance of navigating the rise of new and emerging technologies in a safe and responsible manner to safeguard electoral integrity.  The panel invited representatives from four EMBs to share their practical experiences with the early implementation of AI in electoral administration and how they respond to outside uses of AI. Panel members included: Sy Mamabolo, Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission of South Africa; José Alberto Pérez de Acha, Head of the Technical Unit of Computer Services, National Electoral Institute of Mexico; Professor Carolien van Ham, Professor of Empirical Political Science at Radboud University Nijmegen and Member of the Electoral Council of the Netherlands, and Shubhra Saxena, Director, Election Commission of India.

The panel members showcased their current uses of AI to support electoral management, while emphasizing the importance of a human-centric approach. They underscored that risk assessments, human oversight, and the protection of human rights remain essential as AI tools are introduced into electoral operations.

During the event, Alberto Fernández Gibaja, Head of the Digitalization and Democracy Programme, introduced IDEA’s ongoing work to develop a concrete and practical guidance document for EMBs on how to implement AI while protecting essential democratic principles such as equal access to information, free and fair elections, and transparency in electoral systems. This document will include examples of good and innovative practices and will not only benefit from the discussions during this Member State Exchange, but also from the input from many practitioners, gathered during a series of workshops hosted by International IDEA that brought together 65 EMBs to examine guiding principles for the use of AI in elections.

As International IDEA moves forward, this document will be refined with contributions from IDEAs Member State network, with the ultimate goal of providing the foundations for AI to become a sustainable and humane tool that enhances the efficiency of elections.