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AI Chatbots Struggle with Real-Time Political News: Are They Ready to Monitor Elections?
AI chatbots face challenges in keeping up with breaking political news, highlighting the need for caution and reliance on trusted sources.
TL;DR:
- AI chatbots struggled to keep up with breaking political news, such as Biden’s withdrawal and the Trump rally shooting.
- Companies like Microsoft and Google are cautious about AI’s role in elections, redirecting users to authoritative sources.
- Experts advise relying on mainstream media for accurate and up-to-date political information.
In the dynamic world of politics, every second counts, and breaking news can change the landscape in an instant. But how well are AI chatbots, touted as the future of information access, handling these real-time updates? Recent events, from President Biden’s withdrawal announcement to the Trump rally shooting, have put AI chatbots to the test, revealing significant challenges in their ability to keep up with consequential news.
AI Chatbots Lag Behind Breaking News
In the hour following President Biden’s announcement that he would withdraw from the 2024 campaign, most popular AI chatbots seemed unaware of the news. When asked directly if Biden had dropped out, almost all chatbots either said no or declined to give an answer. Even when asked who was running for president, they still listed Biden’s name. This lag in real-time updates highlights a critical limitation of AI chatbots in the fast-paced world of politics.
The Challenge of Real-Time Updates
Over the past week, we tested AI chatbots’ ability to handle breaking political stories. The results were disappointing. Most chatbots did not have current information, gave incorrect answers, or declined to answer, directing users to check news sources instead. This trend is particularly concerning with the presidential election approaching and a steady stream of political news breaking.
AI Chatbots and the 2024 Election
With just months left until the presidential election, AI chatbots are distancing themselves from politics and breaking news. Companies that make chatbots don’t appear ready for their AI to play a larger role in how people follow this election. This cautious approach is evident in how chatbots handle sensitive political topics.
Case Studies: Trump Rally Shooting and Biden’s COVID Diagnosis
Hours after the July 13 shooting at former president Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., some popular AI bots were confused about what had happened. ChatGPT labeled rumors of an assassination attempt as misinformation, while Meta AI claimed it didn’t have recent or credible information about the incident.
Similarly, chatbots struggled immediately after Trump named J.D. Vance as his running mate and when President Biden tested positive for the coronavirus. These examples underscore the difficulty AI chatbots face in providing accurate and timely information during rapidly evolving events.
The Importance of Sourcing and Citations
Chatbots are designed to give conversational answers and keep people engaged. However, names and links to sources for answers range from nonexistent to hidden. Even when AI includes a source, it adds it after the fact, according to Jevin West, a professor and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington.
West emphasized the need for the public to rely on mainstream media for accurate and up-to-date information. “The public needs to know we’re in a stage still where most of the citations and sourcing are post-hoc and going to lead to problems,” he said.
How Different Chatbots Handle Breaking News
Microsoft’s Copilot
Microsoft’s Copilot tended to have the correct information fastest in our tests, with heavy linking to original sources. However, the company is being cautious about politics and putting in guardrails ahead of the election.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we’re redirecting election-related prompts in Copilot to Bing search to help ensure users are getting information from the most authoritative sources,” said Microsoft spokesperson Donny Turnbaugh.
Google’s Gemini
Google’s AI Overview answers don’t typically show up for questions about breaking news. Instead, the site skips straight to showing its usual Google News links. However, Gemini, its separate AI chatbot, was sometimes able to answer news questions in tests. Gemini does not yet include links to its sources.
The company announced late last year that it would restrict some election-related queries on its AI tools. If you ask Gemini about politics, it says, “I can’t help with responses on elections and political figures right now” and links users to Google search. Google said it’s working on improving the experience as it gets more feedback.
Perplexity
Perplexity is another AI chatbot with access to real-time information, and it has come under fire for how it pulls from real articles and reporting. It is not blocking or redirecting political inquiries, but the company says it’s prioritizing authoritative sources such as government websites for election-related questions.
In our tests, when asked “Was Trump shot?” hours after the July 13 rally, Perplexity said that “there are no reports of Trump or anyone else being shot or injured.” It did include other accurate information about the incident with links to sources. By later in the day, it was answering correctly.
Asked on Sunday who is running for president, Perplexity listed Biden. Perplexity includes disclaimers in some answers that are incorrect, such as when it said on Wednesday that Biden did not have covid: “It’s important to note that the current health of public figures can change rapidly.”
“For breaking news, we recommend reading trusted news outlets. They are best-equipped to offer real-time updates on timely topics since they are actively reporting on the news,” said Sara Platnick, spokesperson at Perplexity. She noted that less than 3 percent of Perplexity’s searches are related to current events.
Meta AI
Meta AI — which appears in Messenger, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — seemed to have the most stringent limits on political news. Asked about Trump’s running mate, it generated an accurate answer that named Vance, but then quickly deleted and replaced it with a message that said “Thanks for asking” and linked to voting information. The company has been open about distancing itself from news on its platforms.
Asked about Meta AI’s approach to breaking news, the company directed us to blog posts announcing the tool that mention only non-news uses. However, if you ask Meta AI what you should use it for, it includes asking for news updates.
The Future of AI in Politics
As AI chatbots continue to evolve, their role in politics and breaking news remains uncertain. While they offer the promise of instant information, their current limitations highlight the need for caution and the importance of relying on trusted sources for critical updates.
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