The effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on democracy, the rule of law and its potential influence on future elections were at the core of the discussion at the House institutions committee on Wednesday.

Attending MPs expressed their concern about Cyprus’ preparedness for interferences via AI, voicing fears of external influence on information distributed through AI applications during election periods.

Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou urged the government to establish effective protection mechanisms for users and called for the creation of control mechanisms for the use of technology.

Attending university professor for political communication Vasiliki Triga emphasised the need to amend the current legislation to the new challenges posed by the increased use of AI, warning that applications such as ChatGPT could not be considered as “safe” for gathering information, as they were often biased.

An official from the digital policy directorate of the deputy ministry of innovation said that efforts for the regulation of AI were already underway, with the relevant EU regulation currently up for discussions on both a national and European level, particularly in view of Cyprus’ upcoming EU Council Presidency.

According to the ministry representative, a study had been initiated to gauge the current state of AI implementation on the island, pinpoint involved stakeholders and support the creation of a national legal framework, for which a preliminary version was already in place.

The official presentation of the bill is scheduled for March 2026.

Meanwhile, the ministry’s representative said, the commissioner for administration and human rights, Maria Stylianou-Lottides and information and personal data protection commissioner, Maria Christofidou, have been appointed as the supervisory authorities for matters relating to the regulation.

Attending officials of the Radio-Television Authority, responsible for the supervision of the implementation of the bill on the provisions provided by the EU’s digital services act, measures to facilitate the regulation were progressing.

The officials said that the regulation was currently under study and that procedures to the issues raised in the regulation were being drafted. In addition, a register listing supervised entities was to be created.

The institute of Mass Media’s (IMME) representative Nikolas Karydis highlighted the human factor in the context of AI, emphasising the need for news literacy among the public, including young people and the elderly, to enable them to identify fake news, particularly in the context of social media use.

CyBC director general Thanasis Tsokos said the broadcaster aimed to promote digital literacy so users learn from a young age about the possibilities and risks, and he referred to the need to develop the proposal to introduce relevant courses into the curriculum of the education ministry.

A survey published by the Union of Cyprus Journalists in early October revealed that television and social media continued to be the main source of information for 72 per cent of the public, with 44 per cent stressing that misinformation and fake news were a major concern.

According to the findings, online portals, 45 per cent, and radio, 43 per cent, follow as the third main source of information after TV and social media. Printed press remains low at 15 per cent.

Greek and foreign press were a source of information for just 10 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively.