Elon Musk's Grok chatbot accused of misleading voters about US presidential elections

The United States is currently experiencing another intense and seemingly close presidential election. This election is unfolding in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and the rapid spread of misinformation play significant roles.

Recently, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon revealed that his office traced a major piece of election misinformation to X’s Grok chatbot.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, X’s premium chatbot service, Grok, has been disseminating false information regarding the deadlines for states’ presidential ballots, including Minnesota’s.

When asked about which states’ presidential ballot deadlines have passed, Grok incorrectly listed Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. The chatbot sourced this erroneous information to an X post by conservative pundit @EvanAKilgore, which had not been corrected or flagged for misinformation.

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In its “Fun Mode,” Grok repeated the incorrect information with a comment suggesting that potential candidates should check for a write-in option or consider time travel to meet the supposed deadlines.

Another response implied that these states had passed their deadlines and were left with President Joe Biden’s name on the ballot, despite his recent announcement that he would not seek a second term.

The truth is that the Democratic Party will select its nominee through a virtual roll call vote before its convention, and states will only start printing ballots after both major parties’ conventions. Additionally, Minnesota’s actual ballot deadline is not until August 26.

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Fact checks from reputable sources, including Politifact, have debunked the claim that Biden’s name is permanently on the ballots of these states, rating similar assertions as “False.” Despite attempts by Simon’s staff to inform X about the misinformation, they were unable to reach a media relations representative and received an unsatisfactory response.

When contacted for comment, X’s press email replied with a curt, “Busy now, please check back later,” highlighting the challenges in addressing and correcting misinformation spread by AI chatbots during such a critical election period.