In the wake of President Donald Trump's inauguration onJanuary 20, 2025, Meta faced a significant challenge as its AI chatbotscontinued to identify Joe Biden as the sitting president. This discrepancyprompted Meta to initiate an emergency troubleshooting procedure, knowninternally as a SEV (site event), to rectify the misinformation.

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The Issue at Hand

Despite the recent presidential transition, Meta's AIchatbot responded to inquiries by stating, "The current president of theUnited States is Joe Biden. However, according to the most recent informationavailable, Donald Trump was sworn in as the president on January 20,2025." This outdated information highlighted the challenges AI systemsface in staying current with real-world events.

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Meta's Response

To address the issue, Meta activated its SEV protocol, ahigh-priority troubleshooting mechanism designed for urgent problems. Thecompany emphasized that such glitches were not widespread and attributed themto system transitions rather than intentional bias. A Meta spokespersonacknowledged that generative AI systems sometimes return outdated results andaffirmed the company's commitment to continuous improvement.

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Broader Implications

This incident is part of a series of challenges Meta hasencountered during the presidential transition. Users reported beingautomatically re-followed to official White House accounts and experiencedblocked searches for Democrat-related hashtags on Instagram. Meta explainedthese issues as procedural errors during system updates, not deliberateactions.

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Looking Ahead

The situation underscores the importance of ensuring AIsystems are updated promptly to reflect significant real-world changes. As AIbecomes increasingly integrated into daily life, maintaining the accuracy andreliability of these systems is paramount. Meta's swift response highlights thechallenges tech companies face in balancing rapid innovation with the need fordependable information dissemination.

In conclusion, while AI offers transformative potential,this episode serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for vigilance, timelyupdates, and robust troubleshooting protocols to maintain public trust intechnological advancements.