AI Chatbots Can Search the Web—So Why Don’t They?

Why AI platforms should be accountable for misrepresenting breaking news

A growing number of people say they are turning to AI platforms, rather than traditional search engines, for information-related queries.

But while these tools are, in theory, capable of responding to queries about the news in a time-sensitive manner, they may not necessarily be optimized for those tasks.

In a recent test of how several major AI platforms handled questions about a breaking news event—the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by the United States—Wired found that some produced wildly inaccurate answers.

“That didn’t happen,” read the ChatGPT output when it was queried hours after the military raid. “The United States has not invaded Venezuela, and Nicolás Maduro has not been captured.”