A radio jockey in US's Georgia has sued artificial intelligence company OpenAI for defamation after its ChatGPT fabricated legal claims against him. This is believed to be the first defamation complaint related to the AI-powered chatbot introduced in November 2022.
The lawsuit was filed by Mark Walters, founder of Armed American Radio (whose website describes him as “the loudest voice in America fighting for gun rights”), seeking unspecified monetary damages, Vanity Fair reported.
As per media reports, the incident happened when a journalist sought details about a real, ongoing suit regarding gun rights. ChatGPT responded with a legal document claiming that Walters misappropriated funds for personal expenses without authorisation or reimbursement, forged fifinancial records and bank statements to conceal his activities.
According to the lawsuit, “Every statement of fact in the (ChatGPT) summary pertaining to Walters is false.” The AI chatbot even created “an erroneous case number” in its response, Forbes reported.
It added, “ChatGPT’s allegations concerning Walters were false and malicious, expressed in print, writing, pictures, or signs, tending to injure Walter’s reputation and exposing him to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule... By sending the allegations to Riehl, (OpenAI) published libelous matter regarding Walters.”
The fake legal summary is likely the result of a relatively frequent problem with generative AI known as hallucinations. This happens when a language model generates completely false information without any warning, in the middle of otherwise accurate text.
The content, however, can appear convincing, as it may resemble real information and is likely to also include bogus citations and fictitious sources.
Meanwhile, on its main page, ChatGPT includes a warning that it may “occasionally generate incorrect information” or “produce harmful instructions or biased content.”
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.
