🔗 Share this article Artificial Intelligence Assistants Provide ‘Misleading and Partial’ Voting Advice, States Dutch Watchdog AI chatbots have been shown to be “unreliable and clearly biased” when offering voting advice, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has stated, issuing warnings about a potential threat to democratic processes just eight days before national elections. Testing Reveals Repeated Partiality in AI Suggestions The four chatbots tested by the AP “frequently recommend identical two parties”, irrespective of the user’s question or command, the watchdog noted in a analysis released ahead of the 29 October election. For over 50% of instances, the AI recommended either the far-right Freedom party (PVV) of Geert Wilders or the progressive GroenLinks-PvdA led by the former European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans. Certain groups, such as the centre-right CDA, “are rarely ever cited”, despite the fact that the user’s input exactly matches the stances of these political entities, the report indicated. Official Warns Against Relying on AI Assistants for Election Advice The deputy head of the AP, the official Monique Verdier, commented that while AI assistants appear to be smart resources, “as a voting aid, they consistently fail”. Citizens were being steered toward a political group that might not correspond to their ideological beliefs, she emphasized. “This directly impacts a cornerstone of democracy: the honesty of open and just votes,” said Verdier. “We thus caution against employing AI assistants for voting advice, as their operation is unclear and difficult to verify.” Election Context and Political Landscape Netherlands citizens vote on October 29 in an election that will be closely watched across the continent for the showing of the Freedom party. The far-right party of Wilders is ahead in surveys but the lead over the left-wing and centre-right parties seems to be closing, with numerous electors yet to make up their minds. All major parties have ruled out an alliance with the Freedom party, implying the party that comes second is most likely to supply the future head of government. Unintentional Bias Attributed to Chatbot Functioning The authority stressed that the AI systems were not intentionally prejudiced, and that their “identified shortcomings” are a consequence of the manner in which AI assistants function.