Hello ODI Supporter,
As millions of people in the UK headed to the polls this week - mostly accompanied by dogs from what I could see - many have turned to AI chatbots for advice. But an investigation by the BBC has found that they could have given voters misleading information, including inaccurate policy details, candidates who did not appear on real ballots, and incorrect constituencies. With the help of the National Centre for Social Research, six fictional voters were created to reflect different types of voters across Wales, with differing political beliefs.
The details of three fictional voters were fed into ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, Meta AI and Grok. Recommendations for two of the profiles fell in line with their political beliefs. The profile designed to be a floating voter was recommended Labour or Plaid Cymru by ChatGPT, while Grok suggested it vote for Reform UK.
Elsewhere, research by an AI search analytics firm has found chatbots are more likely to reference Reform UK leader Nigel Farage more than any other UK political leader, while greater visibility was given to Labour and the Liberal Democrats compared to the Conservatives or Greens. But studies found that, whereas perhaps a year ago chatbots would decline to give an answer, they will now do so. While it's unknown just how different models prioritise different sources of information, citing social media and breaking news is unlikely to be in their training, opening them up to manipulation. This is being written before the polls even close, so the only thing this author can be sure of is that there were an awful lot of dogs at polling stations.
NHS England has responded to concerns of AI tools such as Mythos exposing vulnerabilities in its systems by moving to take down publicly accessible software repositories. Staff were issued guidance to remove internally developed software from its public platforms in a shift away from the established policy of making publicly funded software open-source, which would allow developers and organisations to use and refine it. Critics of the new measures have noted that copies of the NHS code are likely to exist, as it has been available publicly for so long, regardless of the recent restrictions.
Apple has agreed to pay between $25 and $95 to US customers who bought the iPhone 15 and 16 models between June 2024 and March 2025. The payment, which could total $250 million, ends a lawsuit that accused the company of misleading people about the iPhone’s AI capabilities and features. Lawyers said, "Apple promoted AI capabilities that did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years, if ever, all while marketing them as the breakthrough innovation." A major advertising campaign was launched to promote these capabilities, before Apple confirmed its indefinite delay, when the ads were pulled. Apple admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.
There’s still time to get tickets for our webinar on how smart data could revolutionise transport systems on Tuesday 12 May, so get your tickets now. We’ll be reflecting on the government’s consultation on Digital ID Consultation on Wednesday 20 May, and our Director of Research Professor Elena Simperl will be de-mystifying data-centric AI on Wednesday 27 May. And we have a treat in store on Thursday 16 July when our Executive Chair and one of the world’s leading authorities on artificial intelligence and open data, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, joins us to cut through some of the critical issues in the field, so don’t miss that!
And finally… a data editor at Google gave an insight into what people have been thinking (and searching for) over the last two decades, based on his experience of looking at the world’s largest publicly available dataset. The data reveals that people are keen to help others, find a job that helps others, but top of the list, they don’t know how to boil an egg. Could have been a lot worse.
Until next time.
David and Jo
PS: We're collaborating with Animate Projects on Transparent, a development programme for early-career animation artists. Three artists will be supported to produce short, animated, single-screen films. Learn more and find out how to apply.
PPS: The Bernal Lecture 2026 will take place on Wednesday 13 May 2026, 16:30–19:00 at Birkbeck Clore Management Centre, London WC1E 7JL. It will explore Artificial Intelligence in Science: A Perspective from Medical Ultrasound Imaging. Click the link for tickets.
