Ethics of AI Avatars & Deepfakes in Political Campaigns

Generative AI has unlocked the ability to create hyper-realistic avatars, synthetic voices, and deepfake media at scale — and political campaigns around the world are already deploying these tools. From AI-generated candidate likenesses delivering speeches in multiple languages to fabricated videos designed to discredit opponents, the line between authentic political speech and engineered deception has rapidly eroded, threatening voter trust and the integrity of democratic processes.

The Commission on Science and Technology for Development must grapple with the ethical, legal, and technical frameworks needed to govern AI in political communication. Delegates will examine disclosure requirements, provenance and watermarking standards, platform responsibilities, electoral safeguards, and the tension between innovation, free expression, and protection from disinformation. The committee will work toward international guidelines that can keep pace with a technology evolving faster than the institutions meant to oversee it.