X Changes AI tool after Pressure to Reduce Misinformation

The social media service X has changed its artificial intelligence (AI) tool after several U.S. states warned that it was spreading election misinformation.

Earlier this month, secretaries of state in five states sent the owner of X, Elon Musk, a letter requesting the change to its Grok AI tool.

X explains on its Help Center that Grok is designed to be used as an AI search assistant to help users find information online. Such tools are also known as chatbots or generative AI. Grok is only available to paid users of X's Premium and Premium+ services.

In their letter, the secretaries of state expressed concern that the Grok tool was returning results that included misinformation about the U.S. presidential election process. The officials said that shortly after President Joe Biden ended his run for re-election, the Grok tool provided false information on state ballot requirements.

The misinformation included a statement that the deadline had passed in several states to make ballot changes for the nation's presidential election. The secretaries' wrote that the statement was completely false. In all the states identified by Grok, it was still possible for ballot changes to be made, the letter said.

The ballot changes increased in importance when the Democratic Party chose a new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, after Biden withdrew.

Former President Donald Trump is the Republican Party's nominee.

The letter recognized that Grok does warn its users that the AI tool might return false information. And it noted that the tool urges users not to depend completely on Grok for news and information.

However, the secretaries of state wrote, the false information about ballot deadlines was “captured and shared repeatedly in multiple posts - reaching millions of people.” In addition, they noted, Grok continued to repeat this false information for more than a week until it was corrected on July 31, 2024.

The secretaries of state requested that Grok instead direct users who enter search requests about election-related questions to an official government-run website for the latest voting information. The request aimed to send Grok users immediately and directly to an official election-related website.

The secretaries recently sent out a press release confirming that Grok had made such a change. Before providing results to search requests about election matters, the tool now offers new user guidance. “For accurate and up-to-date information about the 2024 U.S. Elections, please visit Vote.gov,” Grok now says.

The state secretaries explained that Vote.gov is a politically neutral, “trustworthy” website operated by the U.S. government in partnership with state election officials. The website also receives support from government organizations that seek to prevent internet attacks that can block sites or take them offline.

All elections in the United States are operated by local officials supported and led by a state agency. Experts say because each state sets its own requirements and deadlines, it is important for voters to be connected to the most dependable information available.

Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and later renamed the service X. Activist groups have repeatedly raised concerns about a large increase in hate speech and misinformation appearing on the service after Musk became the owner. Some X critics have also said major employee cuts had left the company with ineffective content moderation methods that do not catch misinformation.

In their latest press release, the secretaries of state thanked X for agreeing to the change and said they hope the company will remain open to additional improvements to protect its users. They added, “Elections are a team effort, and we need and welcome any partners who are committed to ensuring free, fair, secure, and accurate elections.”

I'm Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse and the Minnesota Secretary of State.

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deadline – n. a date or time by which something must be completed

moderate – v. to make sure the rules of an internet discussion are not broken

accurate – adj. correct or exact