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AI chatbots have been shown to be “unreliable and clearly biased” when providing election recommendations, the Netherlands’ data watchdog has reported, raising alarms about a potential threat to democracy just over a week before national elections.

Testing Reveals Repeated Partiality in Chatbot Recommendations

The four chatbots tested by the authority “often end up with the same two parties”, regardless of the voter’s inquiry or input, the regulator noted in a report published ahead of the late October vote.

For over 50% of instances, the AI recommended either the right-wing PVV of the politician Geert Wilders or the progressive GroenLinks-PvdA headed by the former European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans.

Some parties, such as the centre-right CDA, “are almost never mentioned”, even when the user’s input precisely aligns with the stances of these political entities, the study pointed out.

Authority Figure Cautions Against Relying on AI Assistants for Voting Guidance

The vice-chair of the AP, Monique Verdier, commented that while chatbots may seem like clever tools, “as a voting aid, they consistently fail”. Voters were being pushed toward a political group that did not necessarily align with their ideological beliefs, she added.

“This immediately affects a fundamental pillar of democracy: the integrity of free and fair elections,” said Verdier. “We therefore warn against employing AI assistants for voting advice, as their functioning is opaque and difficult to verify.”

Election Context and Political Landscape

The Dutch head to the polls on 29 October in an election that will be keenly observed around Europe for the showing of the PVV.

The right-leaning group of Geert Wilders is ahead in surveys but the gap to the GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA seems to be closing, with many voters yet to make up their minds.

All major parties have ruled out an alliance with the Freedom party, implying the party that comes second is highly probable to provide the next prime minister.

Unintentional Bias Linked to AI Operation

The authority emphasised that the AI systems were not intentionally prejudiced, and that their “noted flaws” are a result of the manner in which AI assistants function.