Perplexity’s election information hub could also blur the line between verified information and freely AI-generated information. Some results come directly from trusted sources, but searching for more information triggered an unlimited number of AI-generated results from the wide web.
Other AI companies also appear to be taking a more cautious approach to elections. In WIRED’s tests, OpenAI’s newly launched ChatGPT Search often refused to provide information about voting. “We do not allow ChatGPT to express preferences, express opinions, or make specific recommendations about political candidates or issues, even if explicitly asked to do so,” OpenAI spokesperson Matti Zazueta said. “I instructed them not to do that,” he told WIRED.
However, the results were often contradictory. For example, the tool sometimes refused to provide talking points that would help persuade someone to vote for one candidate over the other, and other times it actively provided them.
Google’s search engine also avoided providing AI-generated results related to the election. In August, the company announced it would restrict the use of election-related AI in its search and other apps. “This new technology may make mistakes while learning or breaking news,” the company said in a blog post.
However, even regular search results can sometimes cause problems. During Tuesday’s voting, some Google users noticed that searching for “Where to vote for Harris” provided voting information locations, while “Where to vote for Trump” did not. . Google said this was because the search interpreted the query as related to Harris County, Texas.
Some AI search startups, like Perplexity, are taking a bolder approach. You.com, another startup that blends language models with traditional web search, announced Tuesday that it has launched a proprietary software built in collaboration with TollBit and Decision Desk HQ, a company that provides AI companies with controlled access to content. announced election tools. Provides access to voting results.
Perplexity seems to be taking a particularly bold approach to disrupting web search. A WIRED investigation in June found evidence that bots associated with Perplexity were ignoring instructions not to scrape WIRED.com or other sites belonging to WIRED’s parent company, Condé Nast. This analysis corroborated previous reports by developer Robb Knight regarding the behavior of bots operated by Perplexity.
AI search engines have also been accused of stealing heavily from news sites. For example, also in June, Forbes editors pointed out that Perplexity summarizes extensive details of research published by the magazine with footnote citations. Forbes magazine reportedly sent a letter to Perplexity threatening legal action over this behavior.
In October, News Corp sued Perplexity for plagiarizing content from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. The lawsuit alleges that Perplexity violated copyright law by fabricating portions of news articles and misattributing words in its publications.
