AI Bots Flood UK’s 2023 Disposable Vape Ban Consultation in Coordinated Attack

In a significant breach of democratic process, artificial intelligence bots overwhelmed the UK government’s 2023 consultation on banning disposable vapes, submitting tens of thousands of fake responses in an effort to derail the proposed legislation.

According to research published in the journal Tobacco Control by health policy experts Dr. Nason Maani from the University of Edinburgh and Professor Anna Gilmore from the University of Bath, an extraordinary 76% of the 118,756 responses—totaling 90,835 submissions—were generated by automated systems. This marks what researchers believe to be the first documented case of coordinated AI interference aimed at disrupting public health policymaking in the UK.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) employed advanced bot detection methods to identify the fraudulent activity, discovering that nearly all automated responses opposed the “smoke-free generation” initiative and were characterized by repetitive content distributed rapidly across a limited number of internet protocol addresses.

“This appears to be the first documented instance of large-scale automated interference in a formal public health policy consultation,” noted the researchers. Dr. Maani emphasized the broader implications: “While this particular attempt was identified, the real threat lies ahead—future campaigns may become increasingly difficult to detect, and we cannot account for what remains unseen. These campaigns pose a danger by creating the illusion of widespread public support when it may actually represent the interests of a few powerful entities.”

Following the identification and removal of the 90,835 bot-generated responses, the DHSC proceeded with its decision-making process. When Keir Starmer’s Labour government took office in 2024, it inherited and ultimately enacted the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into law, which includes provisions prohibiting the sale and supply of disposable vapes.

Health advocates expressed alarm at the revelation. Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, stated: “The evidence that AI bots have been used to overwhelm a Department of Health consultation is deeply troubling. Given the tobacco industry’s documented history of attempts to undermine public health regulations, we must remain vigilant against the potential for emerging technologies to advance commercial agendas at the expense of population health. Robust safeguards are essential to ensure that critical health decisions are guided by credible evidence and expert input rather than manipulated data.”

Azzurra Moores, associate director for information ecosystems at the think tank Demos, described the incident as “quite alarming.” She highlighted the fundamental importance of public consultations in democratic governance: “Consultations serve as one of the primary mechanisms through which governments engage citizens in the policymaking process. Any disruption to these channels represents a serious threat to democratic integrity. The sophistication of these tactics, powered by AI, presents new challenges—for every measure designed to block bots, there is a trade-off that may also hinder legitimate participation. The dynamic nature of AI-driven interference often outpaces traditional oversight mechanisms.”

The DHSC maintained that its existing protocols successfully identified and addressed the issue. In a statement, a department spokesperson affirmed: “We maintain rigorous standards to safeguard our public consultation processes from manipulation, and these measures proved effective in this instance. As a result, the fraudulent responses were excluded from official consideration, allowing the consultation to proceed with accurate public input. We remain committed to protecting the integrity of future consultations and advancing policies that promote public health and well-being.”

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