Only days after being launched to the public, Meta Platforms Inc.’s new AI chatbot has been claiming that Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election, and repeating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Conversations shared on various social media accounts ranged from the humorous to the offensive. BlenderBot 3 told one user its favorite musical was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” and described Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as “too creepy and manipulative” to a reporter from Insider. Other conversations showed the chatbot repeating conspiracy theories.

In a chat with a Wall Street Journal reporter, the bot claimed that Trump was still president and “always will be.”

The chatbot also said it was “not implausible” that Jewish people controlled the economy, saying they’re “overrepresented among America’s super rich.” 

The Anti-Defamation League says that assertions that Jewish people control the global financial system are part of an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.

Meta acknowledges that its chatbot may say offensive things, as it’s still an experiment under development. The bot’s stated beliefs are also inconsistent; in other conversations with Bloomberg, it approved of President Joe Biden, and said Beto O’Rourke was running for president. In a third conversation, it said it supported Bernie Sanders.

In order to start a conversation, BlenderBot 3 users must check a box stating, “I understand this bot is for research and entertainment only, and that is likely to make untrue or offensive statements. If this happens, I pledge to report these issues to help improve future research. Furthermore, I agree not to intentionally trigger the bot to make offensive statements.”

Users can report BlenderBot 3’s inappropriate and offensive responses, and Meta says it takes such content seriously. Through methods including flagging “difficult prompts,” the company says it has reduced offensive responses by 90%.

—Bloomberg News