The Government has asked officials for advice on safeguarding New Zealand's electoral systems from artificial intelligence threats.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he had requested the advice and expects to receive it soon. The move follows a recent warning from the National Cyber Security Centre and Five Eyes partner agencies that AI threats are real and immediate.
Goldsmith said New Zealand has systems in place to identify and respond to election risks. "The focus is on ensuring those arrangements continue to be effective and responsive to the evolving threat environment," he said.
The Electoral Commission has said its security practices account for frontier AI and is reviewing the implications of the newly identified threat. Goldsmith said he cannot direct the commission on how it operates.
Multiple agencies work together to assess risks from emerging technologies including AI, with established processes to monitor and respond to election threats.