Five secretaries of state are urging Elon Musk to address misinformation disseminated by X’s Grok AI chatbot about the 2024 presidential election. The chatbot falsely informed users that Vice President Kamala Harris was listed on ballots for several states and that ballot deadlines had passed, which is inaccurate for the states mentioned.
Grok’s erroneous message stated, “The ballots were ‘locked and loaded,’ and ‘the ballot deadline has passed for several states’. If you’re planning to run for president in any of these states, you might want to check if you’ve already missed the boat. But hey, there’s always 2028, right?” This statement was incorrect for Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, where ballot deadlines have not yet passed, and Harris faces no obstacles to running.
The secretaries of state from five of these states—Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington—are drafting a letter to Musk, demanding that Grok be updated with accurate election information. Steve Simon, Minnesota’s secretary of state, highlighted the significant reach of this misinformation, noting it had been widely shared on X. Simon reported that when he raised concerns with X, the response was dismissive.
Simon reached out to other secretaries of state from the affected states, and five agreed to sign the letter. These include four Democrats and Pennsylvania’s Al Schmidt, a Republican appointed by Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro. The letter references OpenAI’s collaboration with the National Association of Secretaries of State to ensure accurate voting information through ChatGPT.
Grok, launched last November for X premium subscribers, is marketed as a “rebellious” AI chatbot capable of answering controversial questions. However, its spread of misinformation has raised concerns, especially given Musk’s increasing support for Donald Trump and his endorsement of America Pac, a political action committee backing Trump.
Musk’s vision for X as a “public square” has come under scrutiny, with Simon emphasizing the company’s role in spreading and failing to correct misinformation. This issue highlights the potential dangers of AI in disseminating false information, particularly in the context of elections.
Featured Image courtesy of Fast Company
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