{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-government-consultation-on-disposable-vapes-swamped-by-ai-bots-in-2","json":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-government-consultation-on-disposable-vapes-swamped-by-ai-bots-in-2.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-government-consultation-on-disposable-vapes-swamped-by-ai-bots-in-2.md","slug":"uk-government-consultation-on-disposable-vapes-swamped-by-ai-bots-in-2","headline":"UK government consultation on disposable vapes swamped by AI bots in 2023","summary":"Researchers found that AI bots generated 90,835 of the 118,756 responses to the UK’s 2023 public consultation on banning disposable vapes, accounting for 76% of submissions. The automated responses, sent from a small number of IP addresses, consistently opposed the proposed ban and were detected by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) using bot-detection methods. The DHSC excluded these fake responses from its decision-making process, which ultimately led to the ban being passed into law by the Labour government in 2024.\n\nThe study, published in *Tobacco Control*, highlights this as the first known instance of large-scale automated interference in a UK public health policy consultation. Experts warn that such tactics could become harder to detect in the future, undermining public trust in government processes. While the DHSC claims its controls worked effectively, critics argue that the threat of AI-driven manipulation poses broader risks to evidence-based policymaking.","keyPoints":["AI bots submitted 90,835 fake responses to the UK’s 2023 disposable vapes consultation, 76% of total submissions","All but two bot responses opposed the proposed ban and originated from a small number of IP addresses","DHSC excluded automated responses but warns future interference may be harder to detect"],"whyItMatters":"This case shows how AI can distort public policy by flooding consultations with fake input, raising concerns about transparency and trust in government decisions. Health regulators must adapt detection methods as automated interference grows.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":["Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)"],"models":[],"people":["Dr Nason Maani","Prof Anna Gilmore","Rishi Sunak","Keir Starmer","Caroline Cerny","Azzurra Moores"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-27T22:30:45Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-27T22:30:45Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"The Guardian AI","title":"AI bots flooded 2023 UK government consultation on disposable vapes ban","url":"https://theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/27/ai-bots-flooded-2023-uk-government-consultation-disposable-vapes-ban","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T22:30:45Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"UK government consultation on disposable vapes swamped by AI bots in 2023\", 27 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/uk-government-consultation-on-disposable-vapes-swamped-by-ai-bots-in-2","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"UK government consultation on disposable vapes swamped by AI bots in 2023","datePublished":"2026-10-27T22:30:45Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/uk-government-consultation-on-disposable-vapes-swamped-by-ai-bots-in-2"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}