Six popular AI chatbots - ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, Meta AI and Grok - gave misleading answers when BBC Wales tested them with fictional voter profiles ahead of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) election, asking who to vote for, who the candidates were, and how the voting system worked. Claude said Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth had led the party 'until recently' when he was still leader; Copilot gave the wrong constituency for a town; ChatGPT and Meta AI named candidates who will not appear on the real ballot; Grok recommended Reform UK to a floating voter while ChatGPT suggested Labour or Plaid Cymru.
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Expert: Ben Summer, BBC Wales News Impact journalist; AI Security Institute (AISI) BBC Wales tested six popular chatbots - ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, Meta AI and Grok - with fictional voter profiles ahead of the Senedd election, and several gave inaccurate answers about voting. Chatbots supplied wrong policy details, wrong constituencies, and named candidates who will not appear on the actual ballot. Claude claimed Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth had been leader 'until recently' when he was still leader. Copilot gave the wrong constituency for a town. ChatGPT and Meta AI named candidates not on the real lists. Grok recommended Reform UK for a floating voter while ChatGPT suggested Labour or Plaid Cymru. Ben Summer of BBC Wales News Impact said AI tools can present errors with total confidence, and the AI Security Institute's 2025 report found around 13 percent of eligible UK voters used conversational AI for political information in the week before the 2024 general election - making such errors consequential. OpenAI said ChatGPT can make mistakes; Google said Gemini was designed to give a balanced view on politics; Microsoft said Copilot encourages users to verify details themselves. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jvyyldypyo
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