Five secretaries of state recently called out Elon Musk regarding his social media platform X’s artificial intelligence search assistant, which allegedly shared false information about the 2024 presidential election. According to the secretaries, X’s AI chatbot Grok misled users about ballot deadlines in several states shortly after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid against former President Donald Trump. The false claim was shared on multiple social media platforms, reaching millions of people, and continued to be repeated for over a week until it was corrected.
In a letter to Musk, the secretaries emphasized that the information shared by Grok was inaccurate and potentially misleading to the public. The post claimed that the ballot deadline had passed for several states for the 2024 election, including key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico, among others. However, the secretaries clarified that in all nine states mentioned, the opposite was true and upcoming ballot deadlines would allow for changes to candidates listed on the ballot for the offices of President and Vice President.
As of now, CNBC has requested a comment from Musk regarding the letter from the secretaries of state. Musk has previously shown support for Republican presidential nominee Trump and Republicans through a political action committee called America PAC. This group is currently under investigation by Jocelyn Benson’s office for its efforts to collect voter data in key swing states. The secretaries of state are urging Musk to take action to correct the false information spread by Grok and ensure the accuracy of information provided by X’s AI search assistant.
The letter from the secretaries of state also suggested that X should follow the example set by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which directs users to the nonpartisan site CanIVote.org when asked about U.S. elections. This recommendation aims to prevent the spread of false information and misinformation, particularly when it comes to important matters such as election deadlines and processes. By implementing similar measures, X can improve the credibility and reliability of its AI search assistant, ensuring that users receive accurate and up-to-date information.
The call to action from the secretaries of state highlights the importance of accuracy and integrity in information dissemination, especially on social media platforms with a large user base. Elon Musk and the team at X have been urged to address the issue of false information spread by Grok and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. By prioritizing the correction of misinformation and following best practices in information sharing, X can enhance its platform’s reputation and trustworthiness among users.
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