AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot have disseminated a debunked claim regarding the broadcast of the presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. According to an NBC News report, the chatbots echoed a baseless assertion from a conservative writer that CNN would air the debate with a “1-2 minute delay,” rather than the standard 7-second delay, sparking concerns about potential footage manipulation. Despite CNN’s prompt refutation of the claim, the misinformation persisted. NBC’s tests revealed that both ChatGPT and Copilot incorrectly affirmed the claim, citing irrelevant sources. Other AI chatbots, including Meta AI and Elon Musk’s xAI’s Grok, responded correctly or refused to answer due to the political nature of the question. The incident underscores the challenges in ensuring consistent and accurate responses from generative AI tools, especially amid the fast-paced spread of misinformation online. With major elections approaching in 2024, tech companies are intensifying efforts to regulate AI-generated content to safeguard the democratic process. Measures include banning the use of AI tools to imitate candidates, labeling AI-generated content, and restricting election-related queries to prevent misuse.

AI Chatbots Spread Misinformation on Presidential Debate
AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot mistakenly spread a debunked claim about the presidential debate.
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