A musician in Canada has had a concert cancelled after he was falsely identified as a sex offender by a Google AI overview.
The Juno Award-winning fiddler, singer and songwriter Ashley MacIsaac had been due to play at the Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, Canada on December 19, but he said he was informed that the show was called off after a Google AI summary wrongly asserted that he had been convicted of a series of offences, including sexual assault.
The venue reportedly saw the misinformation online, with MacIsaac saying he believes the AI mistook him for a man in Canada with the same name.
The musician has now told The Canadian Press that he thinks he may have been defamed by the error. “If a lawyer wants to take this on (for free)…I would stand up because I’m not the first and I’m sure I won’t be the last,” he said.
“You are being put into a less secure situation because of a media company – that’s what defamation is,” he said, adding that he is worried what might have happened had he been trying to enter another country. “I could have been at a border and put in jail. So something has to be figured out as far as what the AI companies are responsible for…and what they can prevent.”
Wendy Manton, a spokesperson for Google Canada, said in a statement that their AI “overviews” frequently change to show the most “helpful” information. “When issues arise – like if our features misinterpret web content or miss some context – we use those examples to improve our systems, and may take action under our policies”.
The Sipekne-katik First Nation have apologised to MacIsaac. “We deeply regret the harm this caused to your reputation and livelihood,” they said. “Chief and council value your artistry, contribution to the cultural life of the Maritimes, and your commitment to reconciliation.”
MacIsaac has said he is looking forward to rescheduling the event, and has already been contacted by law firms interested in taking on the case.
“I’m telling you, this is not a nice place to be,” he said. “I’m sitting outside my grandmother’s going in for Christmas. This isn’t a conversation I want to have today – ‘Oh, yeah, somebody called me a sex offender.’”