19th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies

 

"Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Integrity"

Organised by the Venice Commission

Strasbourg, France

Hybrid event, KUDO platform & Council of Europe's Agora building

(meeting room G.03)

14 - 15 November 2022

Time indicated is Strasbourg/Paris time (check your time zone here)

 

13 November 2022

Arrival of participants

18.00 - 19.30 – Cultural event: walking guided tour of the exterior of Strasbourg Cathedral and the old town (“Petite France”) (Prior booking required)

 

14 November 2022

09.00 - 09.30 –  Arrival of participants (Agora building) and time allowed to access the KUDO platform (KUDO access sent by e-mail to online registered participants)

 

09.30 - 09.45 – Welcoming address

Srdjan Darmanovic, President of the Council for Democratic Elections, Member of the Venice Commission, Montenegro (Speech)

 

09.45 - 10.25 – Introductory session - The Council of Europe's acquis and the principles at stake

Moderated by Srdjan Darmanovic, President of the Council for Democratic Elections, Member of the Venice Commission, Montenegro

▷ The principles at stake

Oliver Kask, Judge, President of the National Election Commission of Estonia, Substitute member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (Presentation)

▷ The work of the Committee on Artificial Intelligence

Thomas Schneider, Head of International Affairs in the Federal Office of Communication (Switzerland), President of the Committee on Artificial Intelligence of the Council of Europe (Presentation)

10.25 - 10.40 - Break

 

10.40 - 12.00 – First session – AI and fairness in electoral processes

Moderated by Carl-Niclas Odenbring, Head of Development at the Swedish Election Authority

▷ How to combine AI and fair, balanced electoral campaigns?

▷ How can AI affect gender parity?

"Preventing discrimination caused by the use of artificial intelligence", Sarah Burton, Secretary to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - Replacing Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Speech)

"Artificial intelligence, electoral fairness, and the protection of political rights", José Luis Vargas Valdez, Justice at the Federal Electoral Tribunal of Mexico, Member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (Speech)

"AI and the heritage of democratic equity", David Leslie, Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at the Alan Turing Institute, Professor of Ethics, Technology and Society, Digital Environment Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London (Speech)

"The role of AI in the electoral process", Christoph Bieber, Research Professor at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies and at the CAIS, Research for the Digital Age (Speech)

▷ Discussion

12.00 - 13.30 – Lunch

 

13.30 - 14.00 – First session continued – AI and fairness in electoral processes

Moderated by Carl-Niclas Odenbring, Head of Development at the Swedish Election Authority

▷ How to combine AI and fair, balanced electoral campaigns?

▷ How can AI affect gender parity?

"How algorithms affect women in politics and divide our societies", Kim van Sparrentak, Member of the European Parliament (Speech)

“Algorithmic Elections”, Sarah Bender, J.D. Candidate, Darrow Scholar, University of Michigan Law School, USA (Presentation)

▷ Discussion

 

14.00 - 15.30 – Second session – The impact of AI on turnout and voter choice vs. data protection

Moderated by Albina Rosandić, Secretary General of the State Electoral Commission of the Republic of Croatia

▷ How can AI enable a better informed voter choice and a higher turnout?

▷ How to ensure voters’ data protection?

▷ How to combine micro-targeting and data protection?

"Artificial Intelligence in Electoral Processes. Risk and opportunities", Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, President of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (Speech)

"The ways in which EMBs could use AI in increasing voter participation in elections and ensure voters‘ data protection", Rokas Stabingis, Head of Law and Investigation Unit of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania (Presentation)

"Using A.I. to ensure under-represented voices are heard at election time", Erin Kelly, CEO of Advanced Symbolics Inc., Canada

"Elections and AI in Portugal", João Almeida, Commissioner at the National Election Commission of Portugal (Speech)

▷ Discussion

 

15.30 - 16.00 – Wrap-up session of the first day

Presented by Rafael Rubio Núñez, Professor of Constitutional Law at Universidad Complutense of Madrid, General Rapporteur of the Conference, Former member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

 

Break-out coffee break

 

17.00-18.30 – Reception hosted by the Municipality of Strasbourg

Upon prior invitation only

15 November 2022

09.00 - 09.15 – Family photo

 

09.15 - 10.30 – Third session – AI vs. supervision and transparency of electoral processes

Moderated by Beat Kuoni, Legal Counsel at the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland

▷ How to ensure oversight of AI tools in electoral processes?

▷ How can AI reliably predict an election outcome?

"The role of international observers in enhancing transparency and integrity of electoral processes", Vladimir Misev, Senior Adviser on New Voting Technologies at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) (Speech)

"Don't worry about AI and the electoral process! Unless…", Matthias Spielkamp, co-founder and Executive Director of Algorithm Watch (Presentation)

"AI in elections: A problem searching for a solution", Søren Stauning, Special Advisor, Election Unit of Denmark (Presentation)

▷ Discussion

10.30 - 10.45 – Break

 

10.45 - 12.00 – Fourth session – AI and harmful content

Moderated by Jan Kleijssen, Director, Information Society - Action against Crime, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law - DGI at the Council of Europe

▷ How can AI tools help improve good governance of elections by enabling to detect hate speech, misinformation and “fake news” during electoral processes?

"Legislative responses to content harmful to electoral integrity ; recent legislation in Ireland", Richard Barrett, Law Reform Commissioner, Law Reform Commission of Ireland, Member of the Venice Commission, Ireland (Speech)

"Impact of online hate speech and fake news on local and regional electoral processes", Wilma Delissen van Tongerlo, Rapporteur on hate speech and fake news, Member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (Speech)

"Elections and Content Policies", Richard Lappin, Head of Policy Content, Meta

"Online Hate speech induced by politicians and public figures", Eliška Pírková, Europe Policy Analyst and Global Freedom of Expression Lead at Access Now

"Perspectives and implications of using AI in elections", Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Georgia (Speech)

▷ Discussion

12.00 - 12.30 – Closing session – Discussion on and adoption of the conclusions of the 19th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies

Moderated by Pierre Garrone, Secretary of the Council for democratic elections, Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

Discussion and adoption of the conclusions of the Conference, presented by Rafael Rubio Núñez, Professor of Constitutional Law at Universidad Complutense of Madrid, General Rapporteur of the Conference, Former member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

Farewell address by Simona Granata-Menghini, Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

 

Departure of participants