X pledges to fix AI chatbot after it spread misinformation about US election
Grok falsely claimed Kamala Harris had missed the ballot deadline
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Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has modified its Grokchatbotafter calls from election officials in five US states to ensure the information it gives out is accurate.
The move comes after Grok falsely claimed the ballot deadline had passed in nine states, meaning the candidate options were set in stone for the November 2024 US Presidential election. This is particularly alarming considering this followed the announcement which confirmed President Joe Biden was halting his presidential bid, with Kamala Harris receving the Democratic nomination.
Grok has now been amended to direct users to the nonpartisan election information site Vote.gov in response to any related queries, which the protesting officials say is a “trustworthy resource”.
Grok election misinformation
The 2024 election cycle has been no stranger to misinformation so far, withAI-generated content taking the top spotfor the driver of ‘fake news’.
One reason for this is Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained on an extensive amount of online data, with no process to filter out inaccurate information - essentially meaning they can learn facts that aren’t true.
The amendment has not stopped Grok fromgenerating misleading imagesand using real people’s likeness in questionable ways upon request. Musk introduced the chatbot as ‘rebellious’ and boasted its ability to answer “spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.”. Controversial examples of the AI’s creations include images of celebrities doing drugs and holding guns - it’s a real mystery that other chatbots reject these requests.
Grok is currently only available for X premium subscribers, but the images can be shared to anyone. The site continues to concern watchdog groups as hate speech and misinformation campaigns have thrived since Musk took over the platform in 2022.
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Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.
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