AI Misinformation: How Grok Bot Got the Boston 'No Kings' Protest Wrong

The 'No Kings' Protest and AI Misinformation

• 🎯 On October 18th, organizers reported nearly 7 million people participated in anti-Trump demonstrations across the US, including a large crowd in Boston Commons.
• 🔍 Aerial footage of the Boston "No Kings" protest was shared widely, but social media skeptics questioned its authenticity.
• 🤖 The AI chatbot Grok mistakenly identified the protest footage as being from a "free speech rally in August 2017" when asked by a user.

Grok's Error and Verification

• ⚠️ This false information spread rapidly online, particularly among conservative influencers, with some falsely claiming the footage was fake due to the lack of fall foliage.
• 💡 Grok's initial error appears to have stemmed from a proposed, unapproved community note on X.
• ✅ The AI eventually corrected its claim, but not before the misinformation had gained traction.
• 📰 Both the BBC and NBC Boston verified that the "No Kings" protest clip was indeed from the specified date and location.

The Dangers of AI and Sharing

• 🌳 A correspondent from NBC 10 demonstrated that fall foliage was not yet prominent in mid-October Massachusetts, debunking one claim against the footage's authenticity.
• ⚠️ The video highlights that AI can be a powerful tool but also "spectacularly, dangerously wrong."
• 💡 Advice is given to verify information before sharing, questioning whether one was present, checked the facts, or is simply trusting a potentially fallible machine.