AG James: Some AI chatbots are providing inaccurate voting information

ALBANY – Some artificial intelligence chatbots are providing wrong answers to voters asking about where and when they can vote, according to state Attorney General Letitia James.

The office tested several AI-powered chatbots in which voters can ask questions such as where to vote and James said the tests frequently resulted in inaccurate information. The office also received calls from voters.

All voters may access information on where, when and how they can vote at the state Board of Elections website at https://elections.ny.gov/, which also provides a link to a voter “lookup.” The lookup is at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/ and allows voters to search under their name for their polling places for early voting and for the traditional election day on Tuesday.

The Suffolk County Board of Elections also has information at https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE and the Nassau County Board of Elections provides data for voters at https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/566/Board-of-Elections.

Newsday also has a guide to voters at https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/nyers-can-vote-early-by-mail-on-election-day-heres-how-aij1zoon

At the polls, volunteers and election officials also assist voters with questions and concerns.

James said voters shouldn’t rely on AI chatbots, some of which are trying to compete with established search engines such as Google.

“My office’s testing of AI chatbots found many providing false or misleading information about voting, threatening New Yorkers’ ability to exercise their right to vote,” James said Friday. “With early voting underway and Election Day just around the corner, I urge voters to be cautious and seek reliable information about the election only from official sources.”

In one case, a chatbot stated a Kings County voter could vote at any poll site in the county for early voting, but that’s not accurate. Voters who live in New York City are assigned specific poll sites for early voting near where they live, while voters outside the city can vote at any early voting polling site within their county.

The state Attorney General’s Office handles complaints and concerns by voters before and during elections. The concerns can include intimidation of voters at the polls, online messages, and difficulty in casting votes.

Complaints can be made to the attorney general’s Election Protection Hotline is 866-390-2992 and online at https://electionhotline.ag.ny.gov/.

Nationwide, news organizations reported that AI-powered messages in Spanish and in English are targeting Latino voters and stating false claims about voting rights, according to The Associated Press.

Lydia Guzman of the advocacy group Chicanos Por La Causa told the AP that the reports show voters must now be especially careful about where they get information about voting.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.