Election voting advice from AI chatbots ‘inaccurate and unreliable’
A study conducted during the Hungarian parliamentary elections found that AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini provide inaccurate, biased, and inconsistent voting advice. Researchers noted that these tools often recommended non-existent parties or failed to identify major political players, raising concerns about AI reliability in democratic processes.
Why it matters
As AI becomes a primary information source, its potential to inadvertently influence or misinform voters during elections poses a significant risk to democratic integrity.
A polling station in Budapest during Hungary’s elections in April, on which the research was based. A polling station in Budapest during Hungary’s elections in April, on which the research was based. AI (artificial intelligence) Election voting advice from AI chatbots ‘inaccurate and unreliable’ Research during Hungary election shows AI recommended parties not running and gave highly volatile answers to identical prompts
Prefer the Guardian on Google AI chatbots provide inaccurate, inconsistent and unreliable guidance to voters asking which party they should back, a study suggests, often recommending the wrong party, not mentioning the right one, or listing parties not even running.
“The results raise serious concerns about the reliability of general-purpose AI systems in electoral contexts,” the study , published by the civil liberties group Liberties and based on research during this year’s Hungarian parliamentary elections, concluded.
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