The International IDEA organized an Executive Workshop on "AI Literacy and Elections", with the support of Microsoft and OpenAI, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 18-20 November 2024. The AI for Electoral Actors project, implemented by International IDEA with support from Microsoft and OpenAI’s joint Societal Resilience Fund committed via the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in the 2024 Elections, seeks to equip electoral management bodies (EMBs), civil society, and the media with an increased awareness and understanding of artificial intelligence’s (AI) role in elections. The workshop was attended by several representatives from the Electoral Management Bodies of the Asia-Pacific region such as India, Nepal, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia etc. There were also representatives from CSOs, media and experts working in the field of digital technology. 

Over the course of 2.5 days, a series of executive trainings were conducted by Microsoft and International IDEA experts for EMBs, civil society and media representatives to foster literacy on AI technologies and raise awareness for its human rights implications and ethical considerations in the context of elections. The executive training helped better prepare stakeholders to approach the use of AI for elections with a specific focus on democratic governance, human rights, and improving electoral processes, especially for marginalized communities. A certificate of Diploma was awarded to all participants at the end of the workshop.  

During the course of the workshop, Ms Shelly Mahajan, Program and Research Officer (Political Party Watch) at ADR, had the opportunity to represent ADR in-person and share inputs on the use of AI in Indian elections. 

For more details, visit this link: https://www.idea.int/project/ai-electoral-actors.