O'Brien fears 'nefarious actors' could use AI to impact elections

But local government minister says the Electoral Commission would help to combat misinformation and interference

Local Government Minister Darragh O'Brien: AI could be used to 'distort messages or to create false and fake messages'. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Artificial intelligence being used by “nefarious actors” could lead to significant challenges around electoral integrity, Local Government Minister Darragh O’Brien has said.

Mr O’Brien told the Irish Examiner that the Government is looking at the potential impact of technology such as AI on elections here.

“I think AI proposes very significant challenges in relation to electoral integrity in the running of elections where AI should, can, and will be a positive thing,” said Mr O’Brien.

“But there are obviously nefarious actors who will use technologies like it to be able to distort messages or to create false and fake messages.”

Mr O’Brien said he believes the Government’s newly established Electoral Commission will have a role to play in combating misinformation and interference.

“We’ve got to be wise to that [disinformation and misinformation]. We saw what has been reported to have happened in the Brexit referendum. You’ve also seen, you know, potential efforts to sway elections in the United States.

“There’s no reason why we would be any different or wouldn’t be that target. We’ve got to be wise to that.”

He added that he witnessed “less sophisticated” electoral interference during the last general election in 2020 “by people or groups pretending to be independent and they’re not”.

“They’re effectively being controlled by other political groups or political parties. That in itself is dishonest, you need to be able to call that out.”

Asked if he was referring to any political group or party in particular, Mr O’Brien declined to name anyone, saying: “I think people will know who they are in their own areas.”

'Nasty piece of work'

Asked about a fake leaflet spread around his constituency purporting to be from him, Mr O’Brien said it “was a nasty piece of work”.

The leaflet, distributed around Malahide in his constituency of Dublin Fingal, called for residents to give up spare rooms, granny flats, and community halls for asylum seekers entering the country.

“We hope for 200,000 arrivals in 2023 but we have a shortfall of nice homes for them. If you can give up a spare room or two or a nice granny flat, or ideally a community hall, we’d love to hear from you. Financial incentives are available, although we know it is not about the money to you,” an extract from the leaflet reads.

“That was a nasty piece of work,” said Mr O’Brien. “Quite sophisticated in one respect as they had gone to the trouble of using my letterhead, my image, putting forward a less than subtle message and pretending to be welcoming to people coming into our country.

“Yet, trying to sow division was the undercurrent of it.”

The housing minister said those behind the fake leaflet have not come forward.

He also criticised the far-right and people who use hashtags such as #IrelandForTheIrish, while also accusing far-left figures of “distorting messages”.

“This #IrelandForTheIrish nonsense that goes on, that’s very dangerous, very pervasive, quite organised in some respect. Let me be clear as well, that far-right piece, anti-immigrant piece is dangerous and I reject it completely. But there’s other elements as well on the other sides, far-left and other actors within it who will try to distort messages and try to distort the truth too.”