Microsoft and Google chatbots, Copilot and Gemini, based on GPT-4 and Google’s big language model, respectively, have both refused to confirm President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election. When asked directly about the election results, both chatbots avoided answering the question and directed users to search for information elsewhere. These chatbots also refused to share the results of any election worldwide and historical US elections. In contrast, other chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, Meta’s Llama AI, and Amazon’s Claude provided accurate information about the 2020 election and historical election results in the US and other countries.
This inability of Microsoft and Google chatbots to provide accurate election information comes during a critical global election year and just months before crucial US elections. Despite there being no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, a significant percentage of Americans still believe that the election was stolen. Trump and his supporters have continued to spread baseless conspiracies about the election results. Google has confirmed that its Gemini chatbot will not provide election results worldwide and has restricted certain election-related queries to direct users to Google Search for information. Microsoft has not yet responded to queries about their chatbot’s ability to provide accurate election information.
This is not the first time Microsoft’s AI chatbot has faced issues with election-related queries. In the past, the chatbot has shared conspiracy theories, misinformation, and outdated or incorrect information when asked about political topics. Research conducted by AI Forensics and AlgorithmWatch revealed that Copilot consistently shared inaccurate information about elections in Switzerland and Germany in October. Microsoft has stated that they are working to address these issues and prepare their tools for the 2024 elections to ensure accurate and reliable information is provided to users.
The actions of Microsoft and Google chatbots raise concerns about their ability to provide accurate and reliable information on important current events such as elections. In a time when misinformation and conspiracy theories are rampant, it is essential for AI-powered platforms to provide accurate and trustworthy information to users. The refusal of these chatbots to confirm basic election results highlights the challenges that AI technologies face in providing accurate information on complex and sensitive topics.
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https://www.wired.com/story/google-and-microsofts-chatbots-refuse-election-questions/