🔗 Share this article AI Chatbots Provide ‘Unreliable and Biased’ Election Guidance, States Dutch Watchdog AI chatbots have been shown to be “inaccurate and evidently prejudiced” when providing election recommendations, the Dutch data protection authority (AP) has stated, issuing warnings about a possible risk to democratic processes just over a week before the country’s general election. Testing Reveals Consistent Bias in AI Suggestions The four chatbots tested by the authority “often end up with the same two parties”, regardless of the user’s question or command, the regulator noted in a analysis released ahead of the 29 October election. In more than half of the cases, the chatbot suggested either the right-wing PVV of Geert Wilders or the progressive GroenLinks-PvdA headed by the ex-EU commissioner Frans Timmermans. Certain groups, such as the centre-right CDA, “are almost never mentioned”, even when the user’s input exactly matches the stances of these political entities, the study indicated. Authority Figure Cautions Against Relying on AI Assistants for Election Advice The vice-chair of the data protection agency, the official Monique Verdier, stated that while AI assistants appear to be smart resources, “for election guidance, they repeatedly fall short”. Citizens were being steered toward a party 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 therefore warn against using AI chatbots for voting advice, as their operation is unclear and difficult to verify.” Election Context and Political Landscape Netherlands citizens vote on 29 October in an election that will be keenly observed around Europe for the showing of the Freedom party. The far-right party of Geert Wilders is ahead in surveys but the gap to the GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA seems to be closing, with many voters still undecided. Every significant political faction have rejected a coalition with the Freedom party, implying the party that comes second is highly probable to supply the future head of government. Inadvertent Prejudice Attributed to AI Operation The AP stressed that the bots were not deliberately biased, and that their “noted flaws” are a consequence of the way AI chatbots operate.