ECI mandates disclosure tag on AI-generated campaign videos

Ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly election, the Election Commission on Friday (October 24, 2025) issued an advisory to all political parties on responsible use and disclosure of synthetically generated information and Al-generated content during elections.

In a letter to the heads of all political parties, the poll body said that it has been brought to its notice that “the misuse of hyper-realistic synthetically generated information, including depicting political leaders as making electorally sensitive messages, is contaminating the level-playing field in the electoral arena, disrupting fair and equal conditions for all political participants, which is a sine qua non for preserving the integrity of the political campaigning during elections”.

“The use of technology for creating, generating, modifying and altering information and publishing and transmitting synthetically generated information is a deep threat and challenge because of its ability to masquerade as truth and unwittingly trap political stakeholders into incorrect conclusions and therefore, ECI finds it particularly imperative to ensure that transparency and accountability are maintained to preserve electoral integrity and voter trust,” the letter said.

The ECI had issued detailed guidelines in May last year just before the general elections regarding responsible and ethical use of social media platforms, and an advisory, dated January 16, 2025, specifically addressing concerns around labelling of synthetic and Al-generated content used by political parties for election campaigning.

The ECI asked political parties, candidates, and campaign representatives to ensure that any synthetically generated or Al-altered image, audio, or video used or disseminated for campaigning purposes shall bear a clear, prominent, and legible label such as “Al-Generated”. “Digitally Enhanced”, or “Synthetic Content”, covering at least 10% of the visible display area (or initial 10% duration for audio content).

Also read: Election Commission takes 21 initiatives in 100 days to streamline poll management

The label in the case of video content shall be carried as part of the top hand of the screen.

Every such content shall prominently disclose the name of entity responsible for its generation in the metadata or the accompanying caption, and no content shall be published or forwarded, which is unlawful and misrepresents the identity, appearance, or voice of any person without his consent in a manner reasonably likely to mislead or deceive the electorate.

Other guidelines included that any instance of synthetically generated or Al-altered image, audio, video, containing misinformation, or manipulated content falling within sub-para 5(c) detected on official party handles, shall be taken down within three hours of being noticed or reported. Political parties shall maintain internal records of all Al-generated campaign materials, including creator details and timestamps, for verification when sought by the ECI.