As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes the information environment surrounding elections, strengthening the capacity of democratic institutions to harness its opportunities while mitigating its risks has become more important than ever. To respond to these emerging challenges, through the European Response to Electoral Cycle Support in Mauritania (EURECS Mauritania) project funded by the European Union, we organised a Leadership and Artificial Intelligence for Democracy (LEAD-AI) training in Nouakchott.
Building on ECES' LEAD methodology, which promotes leadership, conflict prevention and the constructive management of electoral processes, LEAD-AI integrates the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence into democratic governance. The training was designed to support Mauritania's democratic institutions in understanding how AI can contribute to more resilient, transparent and inclusive electoral processes while ensuring that its use remains ethical, accountable and firmly under human oversight.
The programme brought together representatives of the High Authority for Press and Audiovisual Media (HAPA), members of its media monitoring unit, and media professionals involved in electoral coverage. Through an interactive and practice-oriented approach, participants explored both the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and the new risks it poses for information integrity, media pluralism and public trust.
The training provided participants with a practical understanding of artificial intelligence and its application to the media and electoral context. Sessions examined how AI can support media monitoring, fact-checking, trend analysis and civic education, while also addressing challenges such as misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes, synthetic media, coordinated influence campaigns and online hate speech. Particular emphasis was placed on ensuring that AI remains a tool to strengthen democratic institutions rather than replace human judgement or compromise fundamental freedoms.
Beyond conceptual discussions, the programme focused on practical application. Participants worked through real-life case studies inspired by Mauritania's institutional and media landscape, tested responsible AI-assisted monitoring tools, and collaborated on developing concrete outputs, including media monitoring workflows, civic education messages targeting young people, a draft institutional policy for the responsible use of AI within HAPA, and an operational action plan to guide future implementation.
The LEAD-AI methodology also placed strong emphasis on the ethical governance of artificial intelligence. Discussions explored key principles such as transparency, accountability, data protection, bias mitigation and the necessity of maintaining meaningful human oversight in all AI-supported decision-making processes. These principles are essential to ensuring that technological innovation contributes to electoral integrity, media freedom and public confidence rather than undermining them.
By combining leadership development with responsible innovation, LEAD-AI equips democratic institutions with practical tools to navigate the rapidly evolving digital information environment. Through EURECS Mauritania, ECES continues to support national partners in strengthening institutional resilience and promoting democratic processes that are transparent, inclusive and capable of responding to emerging technological challenges in the lead-up to Mauritania's future electoral cycle.
