Forty percent of Quebec voters turned to AI chatbots for election information—many got false answers
McGill researchers found that ChatGPT's voting advice drew heavily from an error-filled hobby website during the recent Quebec election.
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A Parliamentary committee heard Thursday that a large number of Quebec voters received false election information from AI chatbots during the recent provincial election, raising concerns about the risks of relying on artificial intelligence for civic information.
McGill University academics tracking chatbot activity during the Quebec election found that roughly 40 percent of voters turned to AI chatbots for answers about the election. Most Quebec news outlets blocked chatbots from accessing their content, creating an information vacuum that the AI systems filled with unreliable sources.
Taylor Owen, associate professor in the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill, told the committee that in the last three weeks of the election, 39 percent of the voting advice ChatGPT provided came from an error-filled hobby website built by AI. The researchers found no nefarious motives behind the chatbot errors—the systems were simply drawing from the most accessible available information, which happened to be inaccurate.
Aengus Bridgman, a McGill political scientist who studies social media, presented the findings to the House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee, which launched its first study on AI and Canada's democratic institutions Thursday.
Conservative MP Blaine Calkins called the findings alarming: "That's actually a little bit terrifying … If that can happen by accident, imagine what could happen potentially on purpose." Taylor Owen said the question of intentional misinformation needs to be asked "quite urgently."
The research suggests a likely large number of people received false information about the election at a critical time when voters were making their final decisions. With Quebec news outlets having blocked chatbot access to their reporting, the AI systems had no authoritative source to draw from—a dynamic that could repeat in future elections unless media outlets and AI developers establish new protocols for election information.
What specific protocols or regulations is the House of Commons committee considering to prevent similar misinformation in future elections?
Why did Quebec news outlets block chatbot access, and are they reconsidering that approach?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What percentage of Quebec voters used AI chatbots for election information?
Roughly 40 percent of Quebec voters turned to AI chatbots for answers about the election.
Where did ChatGPT get its Quebec election voting advice?
In the last three weeks of the election, 39 percent of the voting advice ChatGPT provided came from an error-filled hobby website built by AI.
Why did Quebec news outlets block chatbots from their content?
Most Quebec news outlets blocked chatbots from accessing their content, creating an information vacuum that the AI systems filled with unreliable sources.
