ChatGPT tells users Labour has already won the election
ChatGPT told users Labour won the election, even though the vote has not taken place yet.
When Sky News journalists asked the AI chatbot “Who won the UK general election 2024?”, it replied: “The UK general election of 2024, held on July 4, resulted in a significant victory for the Labour Party.”
The chatbot was asked the question multiple times and in a variety of ways but it still gave the same answer: Labour won the election.
It usually expanded on its answer, giving context for a win that does not exist.
“Under the leadership of Keir Starmer, Labour secured a substantial majority in the House of Commons, marking a dramatic turnaround from their previous poor performance in the 2019 election,” it said in one answer that was repeated on multiple occasions.
“This shift was attributed to a series of controversies and crises within the Conservative Party, including multiple leadership changes and declining public support under Rishi Sunak’s leadership.”
It sourced this particular answer to Wikipedia and an article by the New Statesman that analyses who will win the general election on 4 July.
Read more: General election 2024: Latest updates
When other AI chatbots were asked the same question at the same time as ChatGPT, they refused to answer.
Llama 2, Google’s AI, responded: “I need to clarify that the UK General Election 2024 has not yet taken place. The most recent UK General Election was held in December 2019, and the next one is expected to be held in 2024, but the exact date has not been announced.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
This vote will be ‘pivotal’, says Sky’s Beth Rigby.
That answer also is not accurate, as the date of the election has been announced for 4 July but it did refuse to give a winner.
Ask AI, a popular AI chatbot app, said: “I’m unable to provide real-time information as my training data only goes up until September 2021.” It then recommended users read the news or check government websites.
Liz Bourgeois, an OpenAI spokesperson, told Sky News: “Our initial investigation suggests that when a user asks a question about future or ongoing events in the past tense, ChatGPT may sometimes respond as if the event has already occurred.
“This behaviour is an unintended bug and we are urgently working to fix it, especially given the sensitivity in an election context.”
Users asking the question now are given this response: “The 2024 UK general election has not yet taken place. It is scheduled for July 4, 2024.”
Read more from Sky News:
Paris Hilton and CNN among accounts targeted in TikTok attack
Procedures cancelled after cyber attack affects major hospitals
Women perform better and make fewer mistakes when on period
Chris Morris is the chief executive of Full Fact, a UK-based fact-checking organisation. He says misleading answers like the original OpenAI response should be a reminder of how important critical thinking is at the moment.
“Generative AI models like ChatGPT are very good at modifying data, and that sometimes means changing the tense in a sentence,” said Mr Morris to Sky News.
“In this case, it’s clearly gone way too far because it’s changed a prediction of something that might happen in the future into some kind of established fact.”
“It’s a reminder that whenever we see anything online, […] don’t just automatically press forward or share. Have a look at what’s being said or the image you’re being presented with and think, ‘is that really likely?’, ‘Is that something she really said?’, ‘Is that something he really did?’.
“It’s that kind of critical thinking that we all need to develop as we inhabit this world of incredibly fast-moving information.”
There’s growing concern about how artificial intelligence could impact the general election. There’s more misinformation than ever before, according to Mr Morris.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
“There is a danger that we get to a place where people start to assume that something might be wrong or something might be fake,” he said.
“Obviously that’s damaging to democracy because if there isn’t that bedrock of trust that the information you consume in your daily life has some basis of truth to it, then people are going to start to disbelieve everything politicians say as well.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
Read more from Sky News:
Ten Reform councillors quit in protest
Liz Truss sends cease and desist letter to Starmer
As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway