AI-generated disinformation floods Nepal's 2026 election campaign
AI-generated disinformation reportedly flooded Nepal's 2026 election campaign, prompting concerns from experts that the false content could undermine election integrity in a country with low digital literacy and heavy reliance on social media platforms.
What happened
Slick AI-generated disinformation flooded election campaigns in Nepal ahead of voting in March 2026, the first general election since September 2025 protests overthrew the government.
Political parties across the divide used social media to push agendas and reach voters, including manipulated or outright fake content. Around 80 percent of Nepal's internet traffic flows through social media platforms.
Reported impact
Experts and fact-checkers warned the disinformation could undermine the integrity of the election process. Deepak Adhikari, editor of NepalCheck, noted that "in a country where digital literacy is low, people believe what they see."
Technology researcher Samik Kharel described a "digital battleground" and said Nepal lacked the expertise to monitor machine-generated content, stating "it is even hard for experts to figure out what is real and fake."
Index analysis
More than 56 percent of Nepal's 30 million people were online during the election period, including 14.8 million Facebook users and 4.3 million on Instagram. About 2.2 million were on TikTok.
Governance controls
The Center for the Study of Organized Hate noted that "disinformation remains a top concern that could undermine the integrity of the election process" and that "Nepal is grappling with the scale of the threat that disinformation poses to society and democracy at large."
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.