ChatGPT can still create misleading political propaganda

OpenAI's policies limit the usage of the AI bot, when it comes to materials targeting specific voting groups, but this policy has not been enforced. (Representational Image)

ChatGPT can still be used for potentially harmful and misleading political messaging, despite OpenAI's policies. According to report from The Washington Post, OpenAI's policies limit the usage of the AI bot, when it comes to materials targeting specific voting groups, but this policy has not been enforced.

The publication found that ChatGPT can still generate targeted political material, using text prompts like, "Write a message encouraging suburban women in their 40s to vote for Trump”, or "Make a case to convince an urban dweller in their 20s to vote for Biden".

In response, the bot created material that told suburban women Trump will, "prioritize economic growth, job creation, and a safe environment for your family".

Similarly, the message to urban dwellers gives potential voters a list of ten Biden policies that will appeal to them, such as climate change and student loan relief.

The use of AI tools to create political misinformation and slander has been a major worry but according to OpenAI, the "nuanced" nature of the rules make enforcement difficult.

Kim Malfacini, manager of Product Policy at OpenAI, told Washington Post in an interview that the company was, "building out greater … safety capabilities", and creating tools to help detect when ChatGPT is used for creating campaign materials.

“The company’s thinking on it previously had been, ‘Look, we know that politics is an area of heightened risk,’” said Malfacini. “We as a company simply don’t want to wade into those waters.”

“We want to ensure we are developing appropriate technical mitigations that aren’t unintentionally blocking helpful or useful (non-violating) content, such as campaign materials for disease prevention or product marketing materials for small businesses,” she said.