3 out of 4 responses to UK smoke-free generation consultation were AI-generated

An analysis published in Tobacco Control, drawing on public data and Freedom of Information requests, found that 90,835 of the 118,756 responses (76%) to the UK's 2023 consultation on creating a smoke-free generation and restricting disposable vape sales were identified by the Department of Health and Social Care as fraudulent bot submissions. All bot-generated responses targeted a single multiple-choice question opposing restrictions on disposable vape sales, and after excluding them, 77% of valid respondents supported the restrictions. The researchers say the scale and directional consistency suggest a coordinated campaign, and describe it as apparently the first documented instance of large-scale automated interference in a formal public health policy consultation.