By Karim Hammam
A new study has found that three-quarters of responses to a UK government consultation on vaping regulations were generated by artificial intelligence bots rather than genuine members of the public.
Massive bot campaign targets policy process
Researchers identified a huge swarm of AI bots that flooded the consultation on a potential vape ban, apparently attempting to influence the outcome. The automated responses accounted for approximately 75 percent of all submissions received.
Concerns over democratic integrity
The findings raise serious questions about the vulnerability of public consultation processes to coordinated manipulation by automated systems. Experts warn that such campaigns could undermine evidence-based policymaking if not properly detected and filtered.
