A study in Tobacco Control found that 90,835 of the 118,756 replies to the UK government’s 2023 tobacco and vapes consultation were identified as fraudulent bot submissions. Nearly all of them opposed proposed restrictions on disposable vape sales. Officials caught the pattern and removed the bot replies before decisions were made, and the researchers say who ran the campaign is unknown.
Storyline:
- Hook: 90,835 bot answers flooded a public vote.
- Context: A UK study counted 118,756 replies in 2023. Bots sent 76% of them. All bots opposed vape limits.
- Stakes: Officials caught them and removed them all. Bots copied answers and moved fast. Who ran it stays unknown. Real replies leaned the other way. Future bots will be harder to spot.
- Payoff: One fake crowd almost flipped the record. Counts can lie. People still matter. Send this to the one person who trusts online polls.
Watch next: House Democrats introduced a resolution on October 28, 2026 saying Congress should oppose bailouts for AI companies that go bankrupt — a non-binding statement, not a law, that would leave failing firms to ordinary bankruptcy instead.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DfD8hJ8gXa3/
https://phys.org/news/2026-10-responses-uk-free-generation-ai.html
https://tobaccoreporter.com/2026/10/28/study-says-ai-bots-flooded-uk-tobacco-and-vape-consultation/
https://www.preciseimpact.ai/briefing/ai-news-digest-2026-10-28
https://www.instagram.com/simpleaiexplains/
https://buymeacoffee.com/simpleaiexplains
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