On Monday, five secretaries of state urged Elon Musk to fix the AI search assistant on his social media platform X. They claimed it shared inaccurate information about the 2024 presidential election.
In a letter to Musk, they stated X’s AI chatbot Grok gave users incorrect details about ballot deadlines in several states. This happened shortly after President Joe Biden announced his reelection bid against former President Donald Trump on July 21st, as reported by CNBC.
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, had shown support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Biden then backed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Soon after Biden dropped out, X’s AI chatbot Grok incorrectly posted that the ballot deadline had passed for several states for the 2024 election. This was highlighted in the letter to Musk from the secretaries of state, who manage elections in their respective states.
States affected by X’s AI incorrect information
The post said the ballot deadline had passed in key states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico. It also listed Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. This was mentioned in a letter sent by Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
“In all nine states the opposite is true,” said the letter, first reported by The Washington Post.
“The ballots are not closed, and upcoming ballot deadlines would allow for changes to candidates listed on the ballot for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States,” the letter said.
Secretaries of state from PA, WA, MI, NM, and MN have asked Elon Musk to adjust X’s AI assistant Grok to prevent it from spreading false election information. 🗳️🔍 A push for more responsible AI! #AI #ElectionIntegrity #TechResponsibility pic.twitter.com/89VsJhVlJ8
— PUPUWEB Blog (@cheinyeanlim) August 6, 2024
The letter, signed by Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, was also signed by Al Schmidt from Pennsylvania, Steve Hobbs from Washington, Jocelyn Benson from Michigan, and Maggie Toulouse Oliver from New Mexico.
Schmidt is a Republican. The other four signers are Democrats. CNBC also reported it has reached out to Elon Musk for comment.
Musk created a political action committee (PAC)
Elon Musk previously stated he created and is funding a political action committee called America PAC, which supports Trump and Republicans.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office is investigating this group. The investigation looks into its attempts to gather voter data in important swing states.
In the letter sent on Monday, the secretaries of state stated that Grok’s false claim spread across various social media platforms shortly after Biden’s announcement.
They also pointed out that Grok is accessible only to X Premium and Premium+ subscribers and includes a disclaimer advising users to verify its answers.