UK Electoral Commission builds AI system to flag deepfakes within three hours

The UK Electoral Commission is developing an AI system to alert candidates to significant deepfakes within three hours of posting. In a May 2026 local-election pilot, AI analyzed about 3 million posts, flagged 147 items, and 10 were deemed genuinely misleading and referred to social media companies or police.

• Pilot analyzed ~3 million posts and flagged 147 items
• 10 items were referred to platforms or police
• Goal is to alert candidates within three hours
• Commission faces 30,000–40,000 cyberattacks per month