Talk about eating crow — AI blamed for false endorsement statement on campaign’s Facebook page

We’ve all heard or seen the stories about the dangers of artificial intelligence and how it might affect our politics and even our society in the future.

While computer and social scientists raise the red flags and opine upon the danger, many of us in Northeastern California might believe those are just big city worries that will never touch our little corner of paradise.

Ah, maybe you’d better rethink that.

Tenessa Audette, a candidate for the District 1 Assembly seat in the state legislature this November, has pulled a false endorsement statement from her campaign’s Facebook page she said originated from AI.

According to the erroneous post, “I’m honored to have the endorsement of former Lassen County leaders Jim Chapman and Bruce Ross, along with Sierra-Cascade Nursery President Randy Scanlan. Their support underscores our shared commitment to Northern California’s future. Let’s keep moving forward!”

Former Lassen County District 2 Supervisor Jim Chapman said he has not endorsed Audette or anyone this campaign season.

Bruce Ross, who works for Senator Brian Dahle, said he is not a Lassen County leader, so the post could not be referring  to him, although no one can remember another Bruce Ross in Lassen County.

A Lassen News call to Sierra-Cascade Nursery to verify the employment of president Randy Scanlan was not returned by deadline.

Audette said when she learned of the post, she looked at it and said, “Holy cow, what heck is that? It was the strangest thing, so I obviously pulled it down immediately.”

She said she called her social media person who told her, “I just did an AI summary. I assumed AI only summarized the article,” (about recent endorsements from Lassen County District 2 Supervisor Gary Bridges (a seat previously held by Chapman) and District 1 Supervisor-elect Scanlan).

Audette acknowledged Chapman did not endorse her, Ross does not live in Lassen County and Randy Scanlan is not the president of the nursery.

“It’s bizarre,” Audette said. “But that’s AI, I guess.”

She said her social media person “learned a lesson that you don’t ever let AI do your work for you, and you should probably run captions by your candidate before you put them out there.”

Audette said her social media person was simply trying to share a link about the Lassen County endorsements when a computer message said, “AI will summarize your caption.”

Somehow the post was created and would up on Facebook.

Audette said she’d spoken to Chapman and cleared everything up, and this will never happen again.