CEC Confronts AI Challenge Ahead of Postal Polls
Commenting on the upcoming postal ballot voting in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin said that countering widespread misinformation through artificial intelligence (AI) is a “major challenge,” emphasizing that “no hidden motive was at work here.”
On Tuesday, January 20, after a meeting with technically knowledgeable representatives of all political parties at the Election Commission, the CEC addressed journalists, responding to various criticisms about the voting process.
Discussing the issues, he stated, “Sudden mistakes or misunderstandings can happen. I won’t call them errors. Often, when clarity emerges and confusion is resolved, people will realize for themselves that no other intention or motive was involved. This is what actually happened.
“What truly occurred is often misunderstood because people do not have complete knowledge. This lack of understanding can lead to different types of assumptions and thoughts.”
The CEC added, “And now, as you know, we are in the era of AI. From the very beginning, I expressed concern that AI would be a significant challenge for us. Tackling this challenge could indeed be a major obstacle, and I have been stating this from the very start.”
Regarding the postal vote through the BD App, the CEC explained that registered political parties were each allowed two technically knowledgeable representatives, and independent candidates could either participate personally or appoint an appropriate technically knowledgeable representative. He said that all questions raised by these representatives have been fully answered by the commission to provide a clear understanding of the voting process.
It is noted that the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum will be held on February 12. More than 2,000 candidates, including 51 parties and independents, are contesting in this election.
Voting campaigns will begin from Thursday after the allocation of symbols on Wednesday. Following the symbol allocation, registered voters, both inside and outside the country, will be able to cast their votes through the postal vote BD App.
DBTech/BDOC/IK/OR
