Amazon Removes Fake AI Biographies of Scottish Politicians Ahead of 2026 Election

Amazon has removed several fake biographies of current and former Scottish National Party leaders John Swinney, Nicola Sturgeon, and Humza Yousaf after concerns arose that AI-generated misinformation could influence the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. These biographies contained numerous false claims, such as Swinney being born in Ohio to a Polish mother and Yousaf growing up in poverty with a father named Mohammed, which contradict their actual backgrounds. Experts from the Alan Turing Institute warned that AI-generated text lacks obvious authenticity cues, making such misleading content more persuasive and difficult for readers to identify. There is significant worry that malicious actors could use AI to produce harmful, fabricated political content without labels indicating its AI origin, potentially undermining candidates' reputations. This incident follows a similar pattern of AI misinformation seen in the recent Canadian elections, highlighting a growing global challenge of AI-driven disinformation in democratic processes. Amazon is actively removing these publications to mitigate the risk ahead of the upcoming elections.