Reddit users fooled a web browser’s AI assistant by generating a high volume of posts with a tidbit of fake news, to the point where an algorithm detected it and passed along the lie as truth. (tadamichi – iStock / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short June 29, 2026 at 7:32pm
Think twice before trusting artificial intelligence to get the latest news.
Internet browsing service DuckDuckGo’s AI uncovered an interesting detail about President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance: They’ve apparently both died of rabies.
Obviously, they haven’t, but the AI tool seems to have gathered the appropriate sources to reach that strange conclusion.
A user on social media platform X posted a screen shot of the browser being asked, “When did Trump die of rabies?” To which DuckDuckGo replied that the president passed away on June 7.
AI in the search engines DuckDuckGo and Brave started displaying a message that Trump and Vance died from rabies after the vice president bit the president on the advice of Health Minister Kennedy Jr. It all started with mass posts on Reddit, where users mourned Trump and spread… pic.twitter.com/tddi4Dxf6t
— Beefeater (@Beefeater_Fella) June 27, 2026
Futurism added some context, explaining that a page on the discussion forum Reddit called “r/poisonai” exists for the purpose of mass-posting false information in hopes of tricking AI into believing nonsense.
Do you trust artificial intelligence to give you correct information?
The tech outlet explained that “what really appears to be happening is yet another cautionary tale about AI digesting incorrect information and parroting it back to users uncritically. Specifically, DuckDuckGo’s AI feature seems to have gotten fooled by a game of telephone kicked off by internet pranksters and laundered into blatant misinformation on a leading search engine.”
In other words, Reddit users gamed this system by generating a high volume of posts with the fake news, to the point where the algorithm detected it and passed along the lie as truth.
In the case of Trump and Vance having rabies, some posts mourned Vance’s passing. One user shared a fake post by Trump on his Truth Social platform, eulogizing the vice president.
Others piled on additional comments mourning Vance or criticizing AI software for claiming he’s still alive.
“The result exceeded expectations, with browsers claiming that both politicians had been dead for several days.”
Other fake news stories the page has attempted to circulate include a story claiming that Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbot is transgender and had an abortion, and that New York Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani is now president.
DuckDuckGo cited a news outlet for its claim that Trump died of rabies, but Futurism said the site, WKNA, is actually satirical.
Eventually, someone at DuckDuckGo figured out that their AI assistant had been fooled.
“Ok, we got ducked on this one,” DuckDuckGo posted to Reddit after learning about the error. “We’re on it.”
Another post said, “Thanks for bringing this to our attention; it has been resolved. We strive for accuracy in Search Assist and, in this case, it was deliberately tricked. We’ll be making updates to improve how Search Assist operates in situations like this.”
Although this debacle was amusing, it’s also disturbing to remember how many people are increasingly relying on AI for fact-checking and quick, convenient bits of news.
A research article on AI published in May 2024 found that it can act deceptively. The authors of that piece note, “AI systems are already capable of deceiving humans. Deception is the systematic inducement of false beliefs in others to accomplish some outcome other than the truth.
“Large language models and other AI systems have already learned, from their training, the ability to deceive via techniques such as manipulation, sycophancy, and cheating the safety test.”
DuckDuckGo was wrong accidentally, but other AI modules can be wrong on purpose.
One can only imagine where that will lead in pushing malicious, false information for the sake of narratives.
The public is aware of fake news, but will they know it from AI when they see it?
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Sam Short is an Assistant Professor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London. The views expressed in his articles are his own and do not reflect the views or opinions of Motlow State Community College.
