Ireland needs informed citizens and trusted sources of information, not just regulation, to protect its elections from AI-generated content and online disinformation, according to a new report from the Law Society's Centre for Justice and Law Reform.

Safeguarding Irish Election Integrity in the Era of Emerging Digital Threats looks at how deepfakes, coordinated online campaigns and foreign interference are changing the information environment in which elections take place. It finds that, while election interference is not new, digital technologies have greatly increased its scale and speed, putting public trust in electoral outcomes at risk. The paper also raises concerns about the effect of online harassment and disinformation on election candidates and democratic participation more broadly.

The paper acknowledges that Ireland has made significant progress in recent years, including by setting up new regulatory bodies and implementing EU measures such as the Digital Services Act. However, it argues that long-term resilience will also depend on media literacy, cooperation between institutions and effective responses to new technological threats. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening Ireland’s capacity to protect free, fair, and trusted elections in an increasingly complex digital landscape.