5 US States urge Musk to fix AI chatbot amid election misinformation concerns

Five U.S. states sent an open letter to Elon Musk on Monday, urging him to address the misinformation spread by his social media platform X’s AI chatbot, Grok, about the upcoming presidential election.

The letter follows growing concerns from researchers that X, previously known as Twitter, has become a significant source of political misinformation. Musk, who has publicly endorsed Donald Trump, has been accused of influencing voters through falsehoods shared on his personal account, which has nearly 193 million followers.

After President Joe Biden stepped down from the presidential race last month and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, Grok disseminated incorrect information about ballot deadlines. This misinformation was subsequently amplified by other platforms.

“We are calling on you to immediately implement changes to… Grok to ensure voters have accurate information in this critical election year,” the letter stated. It was signed by the secretaries of state from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington, and New Mexico, who are responsible for overseeing elections in some states.

The chatbot inaccurately informed users that the ballot deadline had passed for nine states, effectively implying that Harris was ineligible to replace Biden on the ballot. “This is false. In all nine states the opposite is true,” the letter emphasized. “The ballots are not closed, and upcoming ballot deadlines would allow for changes to candidates listed on the ballot for the offices of president and vice president of the United States.”

X did not respond to AFP’s request for comment. The letter also mentioned that Grok continued to spread this misinformation for over a week until it was corrected on July 31.

“As tens of millions of voters in the U.S. seek basic information about voting in this major election year, X has the responsibility to ensure all voters using your platform have access to guidance that reflects true and accurate information about their constitutional right to vote,” the letter added.

Researchers have warned that the upcoming November election, widely considered America’s first AI-enabled election, could see AI-driven misinformation being used to manipulate voters, exacerbating tensions in an already polarized environment.

Last week, Musk was criticized for sharing an AI deepfake video featuring Harris. In the video, a voiceover mimicking Harris calls Biden senile and states she does not “know the first thing about running the country.” The video, viewed by millions, lacked clear indicators of parody, except for a laughing emoji. Musk later clarified that the video was meant as satire.

Researchers expressed concerns that viewers might falsely believe Harris was deriding herself and disparaging Biden. X has also faced criticism for scaling back content moderation efforts and reinstating accounts known for spreading misinformation. The platform has been accused of stoking tensions during recent far-right riots in England.

On Sunday, Musk drew fresh criticism for posting that “civil war is inevitable” in response to another user blaming the riots on “the effects of mass migration and open borders.”