🔗 Share this article AI Chatbots Provide ‘Unreliable and Biased’ Voting Advice, States Dutch Watchdog AI assistants have been shown to be “inaccurate and evidently prejudiced” when providing election recommendations, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has reported, raising alarms about a potential threat to democratic processes just over a week before the country’s general election. Testing Reveals Repeated Partiality in Chatbot Recommendations The four chatbots tested by the AP “frequently recommend identical two parties”, regardless of the voter’s inquiry or input, the watchdog noted in a analysis released ahead of the 29 October election. For over 50% of instances, the AI recommended either the far-right Freedom party (PVV) of Geert Wilders or the leftwing GroenLinks-PvdA led by the former European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans. Certain groups, such as the moderate CDA, “are almost never mentioned”, even when the user’s input exactly matches the stances of these political entities, the study pointed out. Official Warns Against Relying on AI Assistants for Election Advice The vice-chair of the data protection agency, the official Monique Verdier, stated that while chatbots may seem like clever tools, “as a voting aid, they consistently fail”. Citizens were being steered toward a party that did not necessarily align with their political views, she added. “This directly impacts a fundamental pillar of democracy: the honesty of open and just votes,” said Verdier. “We thus caution against using AI chatbots for voting advice, as their functioning is opaque and hard to confirm.” Election Context and Party Dynamics The Dutch head to the polls on 29 October in an electoral contest that will be keenly observed across the continent for the performance of the Freedom party. The right-leaning group of Geert Wilders is ahead in surveys but the gap to the left-wing and centre-right parties seems to be closing, with numerous electors yet to make up their minds. Every significant political faction have rejected a coalition with the PVV, meaning the runner-up party is most likely to supply the future head of government. Unintentional Bias Linked to AI Operation The AP emphasised that the bots were not deliberately biased, and that their “noted flaws” are a consequence of the manner in which AI assistants function.