The upcoming Duma campaign will be the first to take place amidst the active use of artificial intelligence technologies. As Alexander Kharichev, head of the Russian Presidential Administration's department for monitoring and analyzing social processes, noted, artificial intelligence will become an important element in election campaigns. With the development of neural networks, the risk of materials appearing that could mislead voters is also growing.
The quality of generated content is rapidly progressing. CEC head Ella Pamfilova previously called the use of neural networks in campaigning a "growing challenge," emphasizing that it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish a deepfake from an authentic recording.
The Federation Council, in turn, draws attention to the fact that AI technologies can be used to create provocative materials during the voting period. According to Vladimir Dzhabarov, head of the commission for the protection of state sovereignty, negative actors are looking for artificial intelligence and OSINT analysis specialists for potential interference in electoral processes.
On May 2, 2026, the President of the Russian Federation signed a law prohibiting the use of images and voices of real, fictional, and deceased people generated by neural networks in election campaigning without their written consent. An exception is made only for candidates who can use their own digital images.
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