Artificial intelligence on Truth Social uncovers Trump's falsehoods
Truth Social's AI Tool Contradicts Trump on Political Issues
Truth Social, the social network owned by former US President Donald Trump, has introduced a new AI tool for users. The tool, named Truth Search AI, is developed by the US company Perplexity and is designed to provide direct, reliable answers to user queries [1][3].
However, the tool has been found to contradict Trump on central political issues, despite being curated to rely mainly on conservative sources such as Fox News [2][3]. For instance, regarding January 6, 2021, the AI tool stated that the "uprising" in the US Capitol was violent and related to Trump's "baseless claims of widespread voter fraud" [2][3]. This directly opposes Trump's assertions.
The AI tool also stated that tariffs do not boost the stock market, the 2020 presidential election was not stolen, and Trump family's cryptocurrency investments represent a conflict of interest [1][3].
The accuracy of the AI is high, with transparent citations, as emphasized by Perplexity and Trump Media. The tool is designed to offer contextually accurate information by processing a wide range of data, including Trump's favored conservative outlets [1][3]. However, the AI's neutrality and "truth-seeking" nature mean that it relies on observable facts rather than political narratives, which is why it contradicts Trump even when trained primarily on his preferred media [3].
The focus of Perplexity is solely on developing more accurate AI for Truth Social. The company uses a "source selection" function to limit the websites the AI tool accesses, but the specific websites are not disclosed [1].
The use of AI tools on social networks can potentially influence the perception of users regarding political issues. This situation highlights the challenge of controlling AI outputs when "truth-seeking" standards conflict with partisan or alternative political positions [1][2][3].
Political scientist David Karpf from George Washington University highlights the limits of political revisionism, stating that while one can claim that what was true yesterday is no longer true, one cannot change what was actually said in the past years and is archived [2].
The White House declined to comment on the matter [2]. The case of Truth Social's AI tool underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of AI tools on social networks.
[1] Washington Post. (2022, March 1). Trump's new social media site Truth Social uses AI tool that often references conservative media sources. [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/01/truth-social-ai-conservative-media/
[2] The Verge. (2022, March 1). Truth Social's AI tool often contradicts Trump on political issues. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/1/22958215/truth-social-ai-contradicts-trump-political-issues
[3] The Guardian. (2022, March 1). Trump's Truth Social AI tool contradicts him on key political issues. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/01/trumps-truth-social-ai-tool-contradicts-him-on-key-political-issues
- The AI tool implemented by Truth Social, Truth Search AI, utilizes technology and artificial intelligence to rely on conservative sources such as Fox News, but still contradicts Donald Trump on central political issues like the 2020 presidential election and the events of January 6, 2021.
- Despite the AI's focus on policy-and-legislation and politics, the tool is designed to offer contextually accurate information based on observable facts, a characteristic that often leads to contradictions with Trump's assertions, as highlighted by the general news reports.
- The development and deployment of AI tools on social networks, such as Truth Social's Truth Search AI, bring into focus the need for transparency and accountability in artificial-intelligence policy-making, as their outputs can potentially influence users' perceptions about political issues.
