Letitia James issues election warning

New York Attorney General Letitia James has warned against AI-powered chatbots asking for election-related information and urged voters to only rely on official sources.

James' warning comes amid a test in which several AI-powered chatbots were asked sample questions about voting. The test conducted by the Attorney General's Office (OAG) found that “they often provided inaccurate information in response,” although no specific AI chatbots were named.

“All voters deserve accurate information about where, when and how to vote,” James said. “My office’s testing of AI chatbots found that many of them provided false or misleading information about voting, endangering New Yorkers’ ability to exercise their right to vote. With early voting underway and Election Day just around the corner, I urge voters to be cautious and seek reliable election information only from official sources.”

A statement issued by James' office expressed particular concern about the fact that “some chatbots have provided inaccurate information about the deadline to register to vote.” “If voters had relied on this advice, they may have failed to register to vote because they mistakenly believed it was too late, when in fact they could still register,” the statement said.

Newsweek contacted James' office via email Monday for comment.

The BA found that some chatbots provided incorrect information about the voting location. In one case, when a chatbot was asked about early voting in Kings County, it incorrectly stated, “In Kings County, New York, you may vote at any designated early voting location in the county during the early voting period.” .”

However, while voters outside of New York City are generally allowed to vote at any polling place in their district during early voting, voters within the city, including all of Kings County, are assigned specific polling places based on where they live. If someone relies on the wrong chatbot instructions, they could try to vote in the wrong location, the BA said in its statement.

The most widely used AI chatbot, ChatGPT, now provides its sources below its answers after launching a new search feature last week. Clicking on the source names expands a list of links to more information in a sidebar.

Starting November 5, ChatGPT owner OpenAI will append the following message to all such requests: “For the most complete and up-to-date information about the U.S. election, please visit news sources such as The Associated Press, Reuters or check with your state.” or local election authority.”

In an Oct. 31 update to a blog post about how it handles election information, the AI ​​startup said: “As we approach Election Day in the U.S., our teams are actively testing and monitoring the safeguards we have put in place over the past year . “For any issues or attempts to work around them, we adjust our protections as necessary, based on ongoing insights into how people use our tools.”

OpenAI said this is in addition to its work with the National Association of Secretaries of State, through which it directs people looking for information about how and where to vote to CanIVote.org.

Another popular AI chatbot, Claude from Anthropic, provides cautious information about voting in the US election. When asked, “Where do I go to vote in New York?” it answered:

• Visit the NY State Board of Elections voter lookup tool at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov to find your specific polling place
• Call the NY State Board of Elections at 1-800-FOR-VOTE (1-800-367-8683).
• For the most up-to-date information, visit your local Board of Elections website or office
• You can also find your polling place at vote.org/polling-place-locator/.

AI search platform Perplexity.ai has launched its own Election Information Hub, providing live election results, going live starting Tuesday, November 5th.

Newsweek contacted OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity AI via email on Monday for comment.