In Washington, the secretaries of state of five US states have asked billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle an artificial intelligence-based chatbot on his social media platform X, criticizing it for spreading inaccurate information about the upcoming November 5 elections.
Why is it important?
Social media platforms, particularly X, have come under intense scrutiny for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, including incorrect details about the election and voter eligibility.
The proliferation of AI-generated content is a growing concern in Washington, especially because it has the potential to influence voter behavior in upcoming presidential and legislative elections.
Since acquiring the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022, Musk has faced criticism from civil rights groups, who are concerned about a rise in hate speech and misinformation due to weak content moderation.
Musk, who recently endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been implicated in spreading falsehoods. For example, he made unfounded claims that Democrats were allowing migrants to vote in federal elections, even though they were ineligible.
Key Statements
“On behalf of the offices that oversee 37 million voters who have been negatively impacted by falsehoods propagated by his platform, we are pushing for immediate changes to X’s AI assistant, Grok, to ensure the dissemination of trustworthy information during this crucial election year,” officials from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington, Michigan, and New Mexico said in a public letter to Musk.
Following Joe Biden’s announcement as his presidential candidate on July 21 and Vice President Kamala Harris’ response, the Grok chatbot misleadingly informed users that Harris had missed registration deadlines in several states.
“This information is incorrect. The reality is exactly the opposite in these states,” the secretaries of state clarified in their letter.
Background
Musk announced in March that Grok, developed by artificial intelligence firm xAI, had become accessible to all premium subscribers of the X platform.
Despite its limited availability, the misinformation provided by the chatbot has been widely shared on social media, officials noted in their letter.
They suggested that X should direct users to CanIVote.org, a nonpartisan election information site in the United States, when questions about the American election arise.
The social networking platform has not yet responded to the secretaries' request for comment.
