A recent change has been implemented by the social media platform X in response to concerns raised by five secretaries of state regarding the spread of election misinformation. The AI chatbot, Grok, came under scrutiny after producing false information about state ballot deadlines following President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
The top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington collectively penned a letter to the platform's owner, expressing their dissatisfaction with the dissemination of inaccurate information. They specifically requested that users seeking election-related information be directed to CanIVote.org, a reputable voting information website managed by the National Association of Secretaries of State.
As a result of this feedback, the chatbot now includes a disclaimer advising users to visit Vote.gov for accurate and up-to-date information on the 2024 U.S. Elections. Both CanIVote.org and Vote.gov are endorsed as trustworthy resources that connect voters with their local election officials, according to the secretaries of state.
The secretaries of state commended X for taking action to enhance its platform and urged continued efforts to ensure users have access to reliable information from credible sources during this crucial election year.
Despite the update, concerns remain about Grok's potential to generate misleading AI-generated images related to elections. Users have reportedly utilized the tool to create and share fake images of political figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Grok, which was introduced last year exclusively for X premium and premium plus subscribers, was described by its creator as a bold AI chatbot capable of addressing unconventional questions rejected by other AI systems.
This development comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms for their role in propagating misinformation, particularly concerning elections. The letter from the secretaries of state highlighted the inevitability of inaccuracies in AI products, especially chatbots like Grok that rely on extensive language models.
Since the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk in 2022, rebranded as X, concerns have been raised by watchdog groups regarding an increase in hate speech and misinformation on the platform, coupled with reductions in content moderation staff.
Experts caution that these recent actions represent a regression from the progress made by social media platforms in combating political disinformation following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, potentially exacerbating the misinformation landscape ahead of the upcoming November elections.
