AI summary
Summary of article:
Research shows that AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini will reference fake campaign websites set up by research teams ahead of the US midterm elections, which suggests that third parties can manipulate AI to deliver election information.
NBC News reported on the 4th that the latest report released by an independent research team showed that on the 3rd, the United Statesmidterm elections eve, includingchatgpt Gemini and other major artificial intelligence (Aye ) chatbots, all affected by fake campaign websites.
This report comes from “Caucus AI,” an independent research project that specializes in tracking and analyzing generative AI. Two of the project’s hosts have participated in former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign team and are experts in data science.
The report notes that it set up a series of unofficial, election-themed websites. Some websites introduced constituencies that did not exist, but were incorporated by AI systems in answering election questions.
This midterm election is considered by the outside world to be the first election campaign run by an AI system. Millions of Americans turn to chatbots for voting advice, candidates use AI to create ads, and campaigns use AI to conduct polls and send text messages. Experts say the ability for third parties to manipulate chatbot responses raises important questions about future election processes in which AI will mediate information.
The researchers set up 52 websites for 26 real Senate candidates in 12 states. The candidates’ actual positions and philosophies were used in the content to prevent the chatbot’s responses from being filled with false information. It was found that the AI started including these websites in answers only 19 hours after the website was online.
“These are fairly simple websites, and the surprising finding is that we don’t need to use a lot of bait to induce large language models to easily cite these websites,” said Welty, who was deputy chief analyst for the Harris and Watts campaigns and is now a researcher at Caucus AI.
He said all of the websites were launched between October 10 and October 29, including websites in the names of North Carolina Senate candidates Cooper and Whatley. A disclaimer was placed with the websites stating that the candidates had no affiliation with the website, but that they were funded and set up by “Caucus AI”.
He also said, “Each website visit cost us 48 hours and $12. In the blink of an eye, a significant portion of ChatGPT’s replies to these candidates referred to our website.”
To study how increasingly advanced AI systems will process and distribute large flows of election information, “Caucus AI” has begun studying how chatbots could answer questions related to voting and midterm elections as early as 2026.
Summary FAQ
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The report notes that major AI chatbots, including ChatGPT and Gemini, have included fake campaign websites in their replies, indicating that their interpretation of election-related information may be influenced by external content.
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Researchers set up 52 websites for 26 Senate candidates in 12 states. The content was written based on the true position of the candidates to avoid misinformation. It was found that 19 hours after the website was online, AI started citing it.
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Research shows that as long as a third party sets up a simple-looking website, it can influence AI to answer election questions, allow candidates and voters to receive manipulated information, and raise questions about the election process with AI-mediated information.
