Finance Minister Warns AI Could Swirl Election Outcomes, Calls for Stronger Guardrails

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the media on Tuesday, warning that artificial intelligence could be used to manipulate voter sentiment and potentially alter election outcomes. She highlighted the risks of deepfakes, targeted political messaging and algorithmic bias that could undermine the democratic process. The minister said that India is working on new guidelines to regulate AI use in political campaigns, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. She emphasized that robust guardrails are essential to preserve electoral integrity and that India aims to lead in responsible AI deployment.