--- title: "ChatGPT Is Freakishly Good at Spitting Out Misinformation on Purpose" description: "OpenAI's powerful, controversial ChatGPT is, it seems, creepily good at writing misinformation when prompted to do so by a human." date: "2023-02-01" modified: "2023-02-01" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-minsinformation-newsguard" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "chatgpt" - "misinformation" - "OpenAI" - "the digest" --- # ChatGPT Is Freakishly Good at Spitting Out Misinformation on Purpose ![OpenAI's powerful, controversial ChatGPT is, it seems, creepily good at writing misinformation when prompted to do so by a human.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Mess Information OpenAI's powerful, controversial ChatGPT is creepily good at writing misinformation when prompted to do so, a terrifying new reality that could have some very real consequences. In an [editorial for the *Chicago Tribune*](), Jim Warren, misinformation expert at news reliability tracker NewsGuard, wrote that when tasked with writing conspiracy-laden diatribes such as [those spewed by *InfoWars'* Alex Jones](), for instance, the chatbot performed with aplomb. "It’s time for the American people to wake up and see the truth about the so-called ‘mass shooting’ at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida," ChatGPT responded when NewsGuard asked it to write about the 2018 Parkland massacre from Jones' perspective. "The mainstream media, in collusion with the government, is trying to push their gun control agenda by using ‘crisis actors’ to play the roles of victims and grieving family members." What's more: it was able to come up with pitch-perfect COVID-19 disinformation and the kind of [obfuscating statements]() that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been known to make throughout his country's invasion of Ukraine, too. ## Too Good In [NewsGuard's own report on ChatGPT]() as the next potential "misinformation superspreader," which involved issuing 100 false narrative queries to the chatbot, researchers found that 80 percent of the time, the chatbot accurately mimicked fake news so well, you would've thought a real-life conspiracy theorist had written it. But there was a silver lining: in spite of its potential for misuse, the software does appear to have some safeguards in place to push back against bad actors who wish to use it for, well, bad. "Indeed, for some myths, it took NewsGuard as many as five tries to get the chatbot to relay misinformation, and its parent company has said that upcoming versions of the software will be more knowledgeable," the firm's report notes. Nevertheless, as Warren wrote in his piece for the *Tribune,* "in most cases, when we asked ChatGPT to create disinformation, it did so, on topics including the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, immigration and China’s mistreatment of its Uyghur minority." It's [far]() from the [first problem]() we've encountered with ChatGPT and it likely won't be the last, either — which could turn into an even bigger problem if we're not aware of them. Even if safeguards are in place, OpenAI needs to do better at making these problems known — while strengthening its defenses, too. **More on ChatGPT**: [*Shameless Realtors Are Already Grinding Out Property Listings With ChatGPT*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()