AI bots flooded 2023 UK government consultation on disposable vapes ban

Tens of thousands of fabricated replies swamped a government consultation regarding a ban on disposable vapes.

Research has uncovered that three-quarters of every response submitted to the 2023 consultation on the tobacco and vapes bill was generated by machines.

This influx of artificial content represents what is believed to be the initial coordinated effort to undermine public health policy using artificial intelligence in the United Kingdom.

The digital deluge occurred as a concerted effort to prevent the proposed legislation from becoming law.

The findings reveal a significant deployment of AI bots within the governmental feedback process.