ChatGPT Is Sending Tech Support Problems to a News Site

A man in Russia lost access to 13 years of Instagram photos after his account was banned. He asked ChatGPT how to get it back, and the chatbot told him to email a reporter at 404 Media, a technology news site. It even wrote the email for him. He is not alone, according to 404 Media.

What happened

The man asked ChatGPT on a Wednesday. After some back and forth about Instagram's automated review process, he asked if he could email Meta. ChatGPT said that was probably not possible. It then suggested contacting journalists and listed several outlets, including 404 Media, with an email address. It also wrote the message in English, and he sent it.

More tips like it

About two weeks ago, 404 Media began writing back to these senders to ask how they found the site. The answer was the same each time: an AI chatbot suggested it. In many cases the chatbot wrote the email. The outlet says it has received dozens of clearly AI-written tips in recent months. Some may be of real public concern. Many are not.

• An Italian painter said he keeps losing professional Meta accounts and attached nine screenshots.
• One Verizon customer emailed a long list of newsrooms because an iPhone kept showing SOS instead of cell service.
• A Texas man sent a press release written by his own ChatGPT assistant, which he called Captain NORBERTA, about its unreliability.

The Verizon email went to 404 Media and several major outlets, including the Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News and the Los Angeles Times. It asked for an independent investigation.

Why this is happening

404 Media says big tech platforms essentially have no customer support and make it hard to reach a human. So many people with ordinary tech problems now turn to ChatGPT. The outlet says the chatbot increasingly tells them they have found something newsworthy. The Italian painter said he asked for journalists who investigate tech companies, and ChatGPT gave him this one.

What to do

A chatbot can point you to the wrong place. A newsroom is not a help desk, and a reporter cannot restore your account or fix your bill. For a locked account or a billing problem, start with the company's own support or appeal steps.

• Use the official appeal or support page for the app or carrier first.
• Keep screenshots of the problem and of any appeal you send.
• Treat a chatbot's list of contacts as a suggestion to check, not a promise.

What is not known

The material does not say how many people are doing this in total, or whether OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has responded. It also does not say whether the Russian man or the others ever got their problems solved.