Elon Musk’s X platform, previously known as Twitter, has announced changes to its AI assistant, Grok, to prevent the dissemination of incorrect information regarding election ballot deadlines and other election-related facts. From now on, Grok will guide users to Vote.gov when they inquire about election details.
The decision comes two weeks after complaints from five state secretaries. On August 21, 2024, X’s Head of US and Canada Global Government Affairs communicated to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State that Grok had been updated following requests from multiple Secretaries of State. This information was confirmed in a press release.
Grok, developed by Musk’s xAI and available on X to subscribers, was the subject of a letter sent by the secretaries of state from Minnesota, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington on August 5. The letter highlighted that within hours of President Joe Biden’s announcement of stepping away from his presidential candidacy on July 21, 2024, Grok disseminated false information about ballot deadlines, asserting erroneously that deadlines had passed in several states.
The incorrect post, which listed nine states as having expired ballot deadlines, was later identified as false. According to the letter, “In all nine states the opposite is true: 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.”
Despite being notified of the error, Grok continued to circulate the misleading information until July 31. Simon’s office noted that Grok “provided inaccurate information on elections rules… and then delayed correcting its own mistake for ten days, even after it learned that the information it had spread was false.”
The secretaries of state had urged Musk to direct Grok users to CanIVote.org, a resource maintained by the National Association of Secretaries of State. However, X decided to instead use Vote.gov, a trustworthy resource managed by the US government. The secretaries expressed their satisfaction with the change and emphasized the need for X to continue improving the accuracy of its information in this critical election year.
For further details, you can read the original coverage here.