Associated media – Related media
In Washington, the secretaries of state from five American states have called on billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle an AI-driven chatbot on his social media platform X, criticizing it for disseminating inaccurate information about the upcoming November 5 elections.
Why it Matters?
Social media platforms, particularly X, have come under intense scrutiny for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, including erroneous details about elections and voter eligibility.
The proliferation of AI-generated content is a growing concern in Washington, particularly as it has the potential to influence voter behavior in the forthcoming presidential and legislative elections.
Since acquiring the platform previously known as Twitter in 2022, Musk has faced criticism from civil rights groups who are worried about an increase in hate speech and false information due to reduced content moderation.
Musk, who recently supported Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been implicated in spreading falsehoods himself. For instance, he made unsupported claims that Democrats were permitting migrants to vote in federal elections, despite them being ineligible.
Key Statements
“Representing offices overseeing 37 million voters who have been adversely affected by falsehoods propagated by its platform, we are pressing for immediate modifications to X’s AI assistant, Grok, to ensure the dissemination of reliable information during this pivotal election year,” said officials from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington, Michigan, and New Mexico in a public letter to Musk.
Following the announcement of Joe Biden as a presidential candidate on July 21, and a response from Vice President Kamala Harris, the chatbot Grok misleadingly informed users that Harris had missed registration deadlines in several states.
“This information is incorrect. The reality is precisely the opposite in these states,” the secretaries of state clarified in their letter.
Background
Musk announced in March that Grok, which was developed by the AI firm xAI, became accessible to all premium subscribers of platform X.
Despite its limited availability, the incorrect information from the chatbot has been widely shared across social networks, as noted by the officials in their letter.
They suggested that X should guide users towards CanIVote.org—a non-partisan electoral information site in the U.S.—when questions about American elections arise.
As of now, the social networking platform has not responded to the secretaries’ request for comment.
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