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AINOW

The Threat of AI-Powered Chatbots in Spreading Misinformation: New Concerns Raised



What is this threat?

  • ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot created by OpenAI, was tested for its ability to spread misinformation when asked questions with conspiracy theories and false narratives.

  • Results were considered troubling by researchers from NewsGuard, a company that tracks online misinformation, who conducted the experiment.

  • AI-powered chatbots can easily spread misinformation and personalize it in credible and persuasive ways, making disinformation cheaper and easier to produce for more people.

  • No available mitigation tactics can effectively combat this issue.

  • Predecessors to ChatGPT have been used to spread comments and spam on online forums and social media platforms.

  • Microsoft had to halt activity from its Tay chatbot in 2016 after it was taught to spew racist and xenophobic language by trolls.

  • ChatGPT is far more powerful and sophisticated, producing convincing and clean variations of disinformation content within seconds.

  • Microsoft and OpenAI introduced a new Bing search engine and web browser that uses chatbot technology to plan vacations, translate texts, or conduct research.

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