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[POLITICS] · United Kingdom · 9 sources

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UK government consultation flooded by AI bots targeting vape ban

AI bots vaping regulations public consultation Tobacco and Vapes Act Department of Health and Social Care

A study published in the journal Tobacco Control reveals that 76% of responses to a 2023 UK government consultation regarding smoking and vaping regulations were generated by AI bots. Of the 118,756 total submissions, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) identified 90,835 as fraudulent using bot-detection methods.

The automated responses were overwhelmingly focused on a single multiple-choice question opposing restrictions on the sale of disposable vapes. Most bot-generated entries also claimed to have learned about the consultation via social media. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bath noted that the scale and consistency of these submissions suggest a coordinated campaign, though the specific organizers have not been identified.

When the fraudulent entries were excluded, the data showed that 79.6% of valid respondents actually supported restrictions on disposable vapes, a direct reversal of the impression created by the unfiltered dataset. This incident is described by researchers as the first documented case of large-scale, automated interference in a formal public health policy consultation.

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Department of Health and Social Care · Tobacco Control · UK Government · United Kingdom · University of Bath · University of Edinburgh

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Sources

政府への意見公募約12万件のうち76％がボットによる偽回答だったことが判明、電子たばこの規制阻止を狙った疑い [gigazine.net]
Huge swarm of AI bots flooded vape ban consultation to influence outcome, study finds [www.independent.co.uk]
Smoking bill consultation flooded by AI bot 'spam', new research shows [metro.co.uk]
AI Bots Made Up 76% Of Responses In Failed Bid To Stop UK Disposable Vape Ban, But Officials Caught Them [www.ibtimes.co.uk]
Smoking consultation plagued by ‘large-scale automated interference’ from AI bots [www.publictechnology.net]
New study reveals 75% of respondents to Government's smoking and vaping laws consultation were bots [www.gbnews.com]
3 out of 4 responses to UK smoke-free generation consultation were AI bot-generated - BMJ Group [bmjgroup.com]
Majority of responses to consultation on smoking Bill ‘generated by AI bots’ [www.standard.co.uk]
Hacen una encuesta oficial para saber qué opina la gente sobre el cigarrillo electrónico y se llevan una sorpresa [www.centraldenoticiasmadariaga.com]