By Fatma Younis
A study has found that artificial intelligence bots generated more than three-quarters of responses to a UK government consultation on plans to create a smoke-free generation and restrict vape sales. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh analyzed the consultation held in October 2023 and identified 76% of the 118,756 submissions as fraudulent, amounting to over 90,000 bot-generated responses.
First Documented Large-Scale Automated Interference
The analysis, published in the journal Tobacco Control, describes this as the first documented instance of large-scale automated interference in a formal public health policy consultation. The bot responses were overwhelmingly targeted at opposing proposed restrictions on disposable e-cigarettes, with nearly all addressing multiple-choice questions and reporting they had learned of the consultation via social media.
Consultation Background and Results
The consultation preceded the Tobacco and Vapes Act, which received Royal Assent in April 2024. The legislation made it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, and introduced a ban on disposable vape sales effective June 2024, alongside flavor and marketing restrictions. After excluding bot submissions, 79.6% of valid responses supported the disposable vape restrictions.
Coordinated Campaign Suspected
Researchers said the scale and directional consistency of the bot responses suggest a coordinated campaign, consistent with prior evidence of tobacco industry efforts to manipulate public consultations. While the commercial origins could not be ascertained, the study noted that transnational tobacco companies have previously sought to swamp consultations with favorable responses using mass recruitment campaigns.
Warnings Over Future Consultations
Experts warned that bolstering detection capacity and safeguards will be essential as bot sophistication increases. They cautioned that consultations with fewer resources for screening may be at greater risk of influence, particularly in areas like vaping regulation that remain active policy topics in many jurisdictions.
Government Response
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said robust controls prevented manipulation and worked effectively in this case, with fake responses removed. The department stated it will remain alert to such interference in future consultations and will not be deterred from promoting healthier living.
