Use of Artificial Intelligence in European Union Elections: Lessons for New Zealand.

My article with Dr Nicky Gillibrand, Use of Artificial Intelligence in European Union Elections: Lessons for New Zealand, has been published in the New Zealand Journal of Public and International Law.

The article examines the European Union’s regulatory response to the use of artificial intelligence in the 2024 European Parliament elections and considers what that experience might mean for New Zealand.

We look at both the risks associated with AI-generated political content and the limits of treating all uses of AI as equally problematic. The European experience suggests that extensive regulation does not necessarily prevent deliberate misuse, while it can impose significant compliance obligations on legitimate political actors. For New Zealand, more targeted measures around transparency, disclosure and accountability may offer a more proportionate response.

The article grew out of conversations after Nicky and I presented separate papers at the ICON-S conference in Madrid in 2024. Our work brought together Nicky’s focus on the intersection of constitutional theory and artificial intelligence and my interest in electoral law, political practice and the design of workable regulatory responses.