Staff Correspondent:

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said that artificial intelligence (AI) may pose a greater threat than weapons in the upcoming national elections.

“This is a modern threat. One should not share anything instantly upon seeing it. Rather, content should be verified before sharing. The media has a crucial role to play in safeguarding the electoral system from misinformation,” he told reporters during a briefing on Saturday.

The briefing was held at the office of the Khulna regional election officer, ahead of a views-exchange meeting arranged in preparation for the 13th parliamentary election.

Highlighting multiple challenges in holding a free and fair election, the CEC said, “Now we are encountering new challenges that did not exist before. The biggest challenge is restoring public confidence in the Election Commission and the electoral process.”

He said that the second major challenge is to encourage voter turnout. “People have lost interest in voting. Many believe it doesn’t matter whether they cast their vote or not. Regaining their trust in the system is a key task. Ensuring women voters’ participation is also a significant challenge for the commission,” he observed.

The commission is on alert to prevent any kind of tech-based interference that may undermine the election’s fairness, the CEC said.

“We do not want to hold voting at night. We want people to be able to cast their vote transparently in daylight,” he added.

The CEC also said that a crackdown on terrorism and recovery of illegal arms will continue before the elections to ensure fairness.

“We want to gift the nation a credible election. If we fail, questions will arise over the future of Bangladesh,” he warned.

He said the chief adviser has asked everyone to be prepared to hold elections by December and instructed that all necessary preparations be completed by then.

Khulna Divisional Regional Election Officer Faisal Kader, Senior District Election Officer Benazir Ahmed and several upazila election officers attended the views-exchange meeting.