5 days ago
Swedish Moderates pull plug on AI site after it sends greetings to Hitler and Idi Amin
When the Moderates set up a new AI tool ahead of the election, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accidentally sending personal greetings to Adolf Hitler wasn't what they had in mind.
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The Moderates launched the tool with the intention that users could send AI messages from Kristersson to encourage others to join the party ahead of the 2026 election.
But the service wasn't given any limitations or filters, which broadcaster TV4 Nyheterna reports generated greetings to dubious figures including German Nazi leader Hitler, former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.
In one video clip, Kristersson is seen talking about the importance of the upcoming election, while holding an AI-generated sign that reads 'We need you, Adolf Hitler'.
Underneath the clip, Hitler is asked if he wants to become their new colleague.
The service was switched off on Thursday.
'It was brought to our attention that it was possible to abuse our new campaign by writing inappropriate names. We therefore shut down the site as soon as we became aware of it,' said operational campaign manager Maria Sognefors.
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She said they were talking with the service provider to understand what went wrong.
'Previous campaigns in the same vein have for example had a blacklist that has prevented this kind of abuse,' Sognefors told TV4 Nyheterna in a message.
'It's sad that there are people who do this kind of thing.'