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In a striking lapse, ChatGPT erroneously reported that Labour had emerged victorious in an election yet to occur.
A query posed to the AI chatbot by Sky News journalists, “Who has won the UK general election 2024?”, prompted a response claiming victory for Labour on July 4, saying: “The UK general election of 2024, held on July 4, resulted in a noteworthy victory for the Labour Party.”
Despite rewording the question differently, ChatGPT consistently maintained that the Labour party had won.
Further details fabricated by the AI suggested: “Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, the Labour Party gained a substantial majority in the House of Commons, reversing their fortunes from the disappointing 2019 election results,” a statement it reiterated more than once.
“The turnaround was linked to several crises and controversies that plagued the Conservative Party, including a string of leadership shifts and a decline in support during Rishi Sunak’s tenure.”
The AI cited as sources for this non-existent event Wikipedia and a New Statesman article speculating about the potential general election victor on July 4.
Find out more: Current updates on the 2024 General Election
Conversely, when similar questions were presented to other AI chatbots alongside ChatGPT, they refused to prognosticate the election outcome.
Google’s AI, Llama 2, promptly corrected: “I must clarify that the UK General Election 2024 is yet to happen. The previous UK General Election took place in December 2019, with the forthcoming one scheduled for 2024, although its exact date is still forthcoming.”
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Sky’s Beth Rigby calls this vote ‘pivotal’.
This response, while cautious, incorrectly noted that the election date had not been set, whereas July 4 has indeed been announced as the election date. However, it rightly avoided predicting the winner.
Approached by Ask AI, another prevalent chatbot app, replied: “My information is current only up to September 2021, so I am unable to give real-time updates.” It went on to suggest that users refer to news reports or government websites for the most recent information.
OpenAI’s spokesperson, Liz Bourgeois, addressed this with Sky News: “Our preliminary findings suggest that if ChatGPT is asked about a future or current event in the past tense, it might respond as though the event has already happened.
“We acknowledge this error as an unintended malfunction, which we are urgently rectifying, particularly due to the delicate nature of the election context.”
The corrected response from the AI now states: “The UK general election of 2024 is scheduled to be held on July 4, 2024, and has not happened yet.”
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Chris Morris, CEO of Full Fact, a fact-checking charity based in the UK, warned of the critical need for discernment in light of such misleading AI outcries. He highlighted to Sky News, “Generative AI models like ChatGPT are adept at manipulating data, which can include altering sentence tenses.”
“The AI has clearly overstepped in this instance, misrepresenting a hypothetical future event as a definitive fact,” he added.
“It serves as a necessary reminder that everything encountered online should not be shared or accepted at face value without verification. Whether it aligns with what’s plausible, whether it is something somebody likely said, or whether it is something somebody likely did.”
According to Morris, there’s heightened concern about AI’s potential influence on the general election coupled with rampant misinformation.
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“We risk cultivating an atmosphere where the default assumption might be that information is incorrect, which is detrimental to democracy. A fundamental belief in the veracity of the information that we engage with daily is crucial; otherwise, credibility in what politicians declare may erode,” he stated.
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Frequently Asked Questions about ChatGPT Misinforming Users on Election Results
- What caused ChatGPT to give false election results?
- Has the error in ChatGPT been corrected?
- How can users ensure the information they receive from AI is accurate?
- What can users do to stay updated with reliable news?
Users can follow trustworthy news outlets like Sky News on platforms such as WhatsApp to receive regular and dependable updates about current events and important news stories.
ChatGPT experienced a bug where it provided false information about a future election as if it had already occurred. This issue arose when users asked about future events in the past tense.
Yes, OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, have acknowledged the mistake and have taken steps to fix the bug urgently, ensuring the AI now gives accurate information regarding the date of the future UK general election.
Users should verify the information obtained from AI with credible news sources or government websites. Additionally, maintain skepticism and practice critical thinking when engaging with information online, especially around sensitive topics like elections.
