AI in Latin American elections

In late July 2026, election authorities from Chile, Mexico, Panama and other Latin American nations met in a UNDP‑facilitated dialogue to explore how artificial intelligence could support electoral administration while preventing misuse. Participants discussed AI tools for disinformation monitoring, campaign‑finance analysis, voter‑registry cleaning and citizen‑query handling, and stressed that AI should augment rather than replace human decisions. Mexico moved ahead with concrete measures, issuing AI development principles for its electoral institute, mandating AI training for staff, and proposing a legislative amendment to regulate AI‑generated electoral propaganda and grant authorities the power to remove false content before the 2027 election.

Two days later, the Secretary General of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) called on officials and citizens across Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare for AI‑related threats to election integrity. He highlighted the dual nature of AI—its capacity to accelerate disinformation and raise privacy concerns, alongside its potential to improve efficiency and data analysis. The warning preceded a two‑day workshop in the Dominican Republic, organized with the country’s Central Electoral Board and partners including India’s Election Commission, Microsoft, the CAPs network and the European Union, aimed at discussing both risks and opportunities of AI in electoral management.