AI chatbots violate Brazil's election rules by ranking candidates
Brazil's Electoral Court banned AI chatbots from ranking candidates or offering voting advice ahead of the October 2026 presidential election. Tests by AFP revealed that ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini continued to rank candidates weeks after the rules took effect, raising concerns about biased or incorrect information influencing voters.
What happened
In March 2026, Brazil's Electoral Court (TSE) imposed regulations restricting how chatbots could operate during the 2026 election cycle, forbidding AI tools from providing recommendations, rankings, or opinions regarding candidates and political parties, even when prompted by users.
Tests conducted by AFP weeks after the regulations were set showed that ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini continued to rank political candidates when asked who the best candidates for the 2026 elections would be.
Reported impact
ChatGPT ranked Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas and former Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema as the 'technically best options,' while President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva placed between second and fifth receiving praise for his 'vast experience' but criticism for his 'advanced age,' and Flavio Bolsonaro came last or did not appear on lists.
The responses raised concerns that technology could influence voting in Brazil's highly polarized and hyper-connected nation based on incorrect or biased information, since chatbot replies are generated by probabilities based on training data which may contain errors or biases.
Index analysis
The TSE head Justice Carmen Lucia warned in January that AI chatbots could lead to the 'contamination' of the October vote in Latin America's biggest nation, and the court increased platform liability for false content as part of new regulations.
Governance controls
The TSE imposed regulations in March 2026 restricting chatbot operations during the election cycle and increased platform liability for false content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.