Leading AI chatbots are now twice as likely to spread false information as last year, study finds

Leading AI chatbots are now twice as likely to spread false information as they were a year ago.

According to a Newsguard study, the ten largest generative AI tools now repeat misinformation about current news topics in 35 percent of cases.

False information rates have doubled from 18 to 35 percent, even as debunk rates improved and outright refusals disappeared. | Image: Newsguard

The spike in misinformation is tied to a major trade-off. When chatbots rolled out real-time web search, they stopped refusing to answer questions. The denial rate dropped from 31 percent in August 2024 to zero a year later. Instead, the bots now tap into what Newsguard calls a "polluted online information ecosystem," where bad actors seed disinformation that AI systems then repeat.

All major AI systems now answer every prompt—even when the answer is wrong. Their denial rates have dropped to zero. | Image: Newsguard