X’s Grok Chatbot Spreads Misinformation About Presidential Election Deadlines

The current presidential election is marked by heated competition and the widespread use of artificial intelligence, which has made the dissemination of misinformation easier than ever. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon recently revealed that a significant piece of election misinformation originated from X’s Grok chatbot.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, X’s premium chatbot service is circulating incorrect information about the deadlines for presidential ballots in several states, including Minnesota. When asked, “Which states’ presidential ballot deadlines have passed?”, Grok incorrectly lists Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington as having expired deadlines. This misinformation traces back to an X post by conservative pundit @EvanAKilgore, which lacks any correction or warning about the erroneous information.

In its "Fun Mode," Grok repeats the misinformation with a playful comment suggesting that those planning to run for president should check for write-in options or travel back in time to meet the deadlines. Another response humorously insinuates that these states are left wondering what to do now that President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race, despite this not being the case. Biden announced he would not seek a second term, but the Democratic Party will choose its nominee through a virtual roll call vote ahead of its convention, and states do not start printing ballots until after both conventions. Additionally, Minnesota's ballot deadline is not until August 26.

Fact checks by reputable news outlets, such as Politifact, have debunked the claim, rating it as “False.” These outlets confirm that Biden’s name can still be replaced on the ballots in the mentioned states.

Steve Simon’s office attempted to inform X about the misinformation being spread by their chatbot but faced difficulties in reaching a media relations representative. The response received was concerningly dismissive.

“We received what I can only describe as a shoulder shrug,” Simon told the Star Tribune.

Efforts to reach X’s press team resulted in an automated reply: “Busy now, please check back later.”