Parliament pushes AI-powered Hansard to boost transparency, fight fake news
The leadership of Parliament has called for the Hansard, the official verbatim record of parliamentary debates, to be made more accessible online and enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) tools to strengthen transparency, combat misinformation, and improve public engagement.
Speaking at the opening of the 11th Biennial Conference of the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association, Africa Region, in Accra on Monday, 11 August 2025, Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga, proposed an AI-powered Hansard system capable of sending live alerts to ministries, agencies, and other public institutions mentioned in parliamentary debates.
Mr Ayariga explained that the system could automatically notify institutions whenever their names came up in discussions, eliminating the need for directives from the Speaker.
“Even as proceedings are going on, even as debates are going on, institutions relevant to what is happening get notified so that they can be interested,” he said.
Mr Ayariga believes such a system would make institutions more responsive to issues raised in the House.
The Majority Leader further suggested integrating Hansard output with popular social media platforms to reach younger audiences, many of whom, he observed, “will never even read a Hansard.”
By tagging or alerting individuals, agencies, and groups mentioned in debates, he argued, Parliament could connect with citizens where they are most active online, encouraging greater participation in democratic processes.
Mr Ayariga also urged the incorporation of real-time AI transcription and Ghana’s live parliamentary television broadcasts into the Hansard process.
This, he said, would ensure that official records closely match what the public hears and sees, preventing disputes over discrepancies between broadcasts and written records.
Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, echoed the call for a comprehensive digital overhaul of the Hansard system.
Describing digitalisation as a “democratic imperative,” he stressed the need to safeguard parliamentary records in the digital era while making them easier for citizens to access.
Mr Afenyo-Markin proposed adopting AI for indexing debates, creating comprehensive online archives, and establishing common standards for Hansard reporting across African legislatures.
These steps, he said, would not only improve efficiency but also promote regional cooperation and best practices in parliamentary record-keeping.
Both leaders agreed that placing the Hansard in the digital space would help counter the growing problem of misinformation and fake news.
By making official records more widely available, the public would have direct access to verified accounts of parliamentary proceedings, reducing reliance on second-hand reports that may be inaccurate or distorted.
The biennial conference, hosted in Accra, has drawn Hansard editors, parliamentary staff, and policymakers from across Africa to discuss innovation, technology, and the future of parliamentary reporting. Delegates are expected to share experiences, explore emerging trends such as AI and digital archiving, and develop strategies to enhance the role of the Hansard in promoting transparency and accountability in governance.
