AI bots flooded 2023 UK government consultation on disposable vapes ban
Political SciencePublic PolicyPublic Health
THE AI ANGLE
Flooding a government consultation with automated fake submissionsAI bots generated three-quarters of the submissions to a 2023 UK public consultation on banning disposable vapes. The government detected and removed the fake entries before passing the ban into law. Public health and policy officials now face the task of distinguishing genuine citizen input from automated campaigns designed to mimic public opposition.
THE TEACHING ANGLE
Adding technical barriers to block automated submissions risks making public consultations harder for real citizens to access.Read the original at theguardian.com Generate teaching or study materials
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