Nepal Faces Wave of AI-Generated Disinformation Before Critical Elections

Nepal’s voters are facing an unprecedented wave of artificial intelligence-generated misinformation as the country prepares for its first elections since deadly protests rocked the nation last year. The polls, scheduled for Thursday, come in the wake of September 2025 demonstrations that left at least 77 people dead and brought down the government of four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli.

The protests, which saw parliament set ablaze, were initially triggered by the government’s decision to regulate social media, including a temporary ban on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. Tech-savvy youth, frustrated by chronic job shortages and rampant corruption among the political establishment, organized their resistance through Discord, successfully advocating for former chief justice Sushila Karki, 73, to lead an interim government until elections.

Now, as Nepalis prepare to choose new leadership, social media has emerged as a critical battleground, with parties across the political spectrum harnessing digital platforms to target voters, particularly young first-time voters who registered in significant numbers following last year’s unrest.

Election officials have raised alarms about the proliferation of AI-generated content spreading false information. Supporters of the ousted premier’s Marxist party circulated AI-generated drone images supposedly showing a massive rally of over 500,000 people, which were even shared by top leaders. Fact-checkers at TechPana revealed the images were created using OpenAI’s ChatGPT, while police reported the actual attendance was below 5,000.

In another instance, a deepfake video circulated on TikTok appeared to show Gagan Thapa, a leader of the Nepali Congress party, urging voters to support a rival faction. The platform has since removed the video.

“It is a concerning issue,” said Suman Ghimire, information officer at Nepal’s Election Commission, which has identified more than 600 cases of potential misinformation and referred approximately 150 to law enforcement. In one notable case, authorities detained pro-royalist supporter Durga Prasai for social media posts allegedly intended to intimidate voters.

The digital disinformation campaign extends beyond Nepal’s borders. Researcher Ammaarah Nilafdeen noted that posts advocating for the restoration of Nepal’s deposed Hindu monarchy have been circulating on Indian social media, with these “ideological pushes” being “amplified by Hindu far-right supporters in India” in contrast to domestic demands for strengthened democratic institutions.

The scale of the problem is overwhelming Nepal’s capacity to respond effectively. “Candidates and people close to political parties not only compete to win, but also compete to spread misinformation,” said Basanta Basnet, editor-in-chief of news website Onlinekhabar, which collaborates with Nepal FactCheck to verify online content.

Technology policy researcher Samik Kharel described the current environment as a “digital battleground,” warning that Nepal lacks the expertise to monitor the deluge of machine-generated content. “It is even hard for experts to figure out what is real and fake,” Kharel said, noting that approximately 80% of Nepal’s internet traffic flows through social media platforms.

The situation is particularly concerning given Nepal’s digital landscape. According to DataReportal, more than 56% of Nepal’s 30 million citizens are online, including 14.8 million Facebook users, 4.3 million Instagram users, and about 2.2 million TikTok users. “In a country where digital literacy is low, people believe what they see,” warned Deepak Adhikari, editor of the independent NepalCheck team.

Experts warn that the spread of AI-generated misinformation threatens the very foundation of Nepal’s democratic process. “Disinformation remains a top concern that could undermine the integrity of the election process,” said Nilafdeen, from the US-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate. “Nepal is grappling with the scale of the threat that disinformation poses to society and democracy at large.”

As voting day approaches, the challenge of distinguishing truth from AI-manufactured fiction looms large over this crucial test of Nepal’s fragile democracy.