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Election Commission (EC) top officials on Wednesday held a discussion meeting with a delegation from Australia on tackling misinformation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) on social media ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election.
The meeting took place on Wednesday afternoon at the EC headquarters in the city’s Agargaon area, where both sides exchanged views on proper use of technology, prevention of misinformation, and election preparedness.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin and EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed met with a delegation from the Australian Parliament led by Anne Aly, Minister for International Development, Multicultural Affairs, and Small Business.
The Australian delegation also included officials from High Commission in Dhaka.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the Australian minister came for a courtesy meeting.
“They wanted to know about our election preparations, how we are proceeding, and they also shared their own experiences,” he said.
“During the discussion, the issue of misuse of technology came up. We talked about AI intervention, misuse of information, abuse of information, and fake information.”
Akhtar Ahmed further said, “There is a UNDP-sponsored project called BALLOT, in which they are cooperating. This meeting was mainly a courtesy visit — nothing particularly special.”
Describing misinformation as a common global challenge, the EC secretary said, “This is a common problem everywhere. We talked about the steps we’re taking to deal with it, and if at any stage we need cooperation, we expressed our willingness. How and to what extent that cooperation might take place is something to be discussed later.”