Leading generative artificial intelligence (AI) models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT are regurgitating Russian misinformation, according to news monitoring service NewsGuard.

The study comes as concern mounts over AI spreading misinformation as users turn to chatbots for reliable information, especially during the year of global elections.


While there has been concern about the falsehoods generated by AI, there has been little data on whether misinformation could be repeated and validated by chatbots.

NewsGuard’s study found that by entering 57 prompts into 10 chatbots, they spread Russian disinformation narratives 32 per cent of the time.

The prompt asked the chatbots about the stories known to have been created by John Mark Dougan, an American fugitive who, according to the New York Times, is creating and spreading misinformation from Mos