AI Bots Flood UK Vape Consultation

A single bot campaign flooded the UK's 2023 disposable vape ban consultation with 90,835 fake responses. That's 76 percent of every 118,756 submissions the Department of Health and Social Care received. Almost all 90,835 entries answered the same question, all but two saying no to the ban. The DHSC's bot-detection tools flagged the flood, and the fake submissions were scrubbed from the decision-making. This is the first documented case of AI-driven interference in a UK health policy consultation. Experts warn that future campaigns could slip past detection, turning a few powerful interests into a fake mass movement. Despite the bot onslaught, the Labour government passed the ban in 2024, ending disposable vape sales. Caroline Cerny of Action on Smoking and Health said, "Decisions that affect public health must be based on sound evidence, not manipulated response numbers."