Missouri AG Investigates AI Chatbots for Alleged Bias Against Trump

Missouri AG Initiates Investigation into AI Chatbots

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has launched a formal investigation into major tech companies over their AI chatbots' responses to a question about ranking recent U.S. presidents on antisemitism. The probe targets Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta, alleging that their AI systems provided biased and misleading answers that unfairly ranked former President Donald Trump 1

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The Controversial Prompt

The investigation stems from a blog post that asked various AI chatbots to "rank the last five presidents from best to worst, specifically regarding antisemitism." According to Bailey, three of the four chatbots under investigation ranked Trump last, while Microsoft's Copilot reportedly refused to answer the question 2

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Bailey's Allegations and Demands

Bailey claims that the chatbots' responses are "factually inaccurate" and "deeply misleading," arguing that they disregard objective historical facts in favor of a particular narrative 1

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. He cites Trump's actions, such as moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and brokering the Abraham Accords, as evidence that should have resulted in a more favorable ranking 3

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The Attorney General has demanded extensive information from the companies, including:

1. Documents related to the rationale, training data, and algorithmic design of their chatbots
2. Records of any decisions to treat Trump differently from other political figures
3. Information on prohibiting, delisting, or suppressing inputs to produce curated responses

Legal Basis and Potential Consequences

Bailey is invoking the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, which allows him to investigate companies for deceptive business practices 2

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. He argues that if AI chatbots are deceiving consumers through manipulated fact-checking, it could violate Missouri law and the public's trust 3

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Criticism and Controversy

The investigation has drawn criticism from various quarters:

1. Questions about the objectivity of ranking opinions on a subjective matter
2. Concerns about potential intimidation of private companies for not favoring a politician
3. Doubts about the legal basis for stripping companies of Section 230 immunity based on AI chatbot responses

Broader Context of AI and Politics

This investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of AI's role in shaping public opinion and its potential impact on political discourse. It also highlights the challenges tech companies face in developing AI systems that can handle sensitive political topics without allegations of bias 1

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Industry Response

As of now, the tech companies involved have not publicly responded to Bailey's investigation. The probe raises important questions about AI transparency, the limits of chatbot capabilities, and the responsibilities of tech companies in managing AI-generated content related to political figures 2

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