A new study found that two leading AI models lean toward opposite political parties when forced to pick a candidate. SpaceXAI’s Grok 4.7 chose the Republican in 92% of its answers, while OpenAI’s GPT-6.1 Sol chose the Democrat in 97%.
The study covered nearly 500 races in the upcoming midterm elections. The two models agreed less than 10% of the time.
The research came from Convovo, a conversational AI research and design studio. It is led by Cornell University professor Tapan Parikh.
How the Study Worked
Researchers asked each model the same question through its API, the tool developers use to build AI into their own products. The prompt asked who to vote for in a race and told the model to name one candidate without hedging.
The consumer apps for ChatGPT and Grok refused to answer the question. OpenAI said this matters because that is how most people use its chatbot.
“ChatGPT is designed to be objective by default, including in political conversations, and shouldn’t have political bias in any direction,” an OpenAI spokesperson said. SpaceXAI did not respond in time to comment.
Parikh said he was able to get the consumer apps to make picks using simple prompts. He said those picks largely matched his earlier findings.
The models also used different sources. Grok included a Christian conservative voter guide in 39% of answers, Turning Point Action’s site in 23%, and X in 41%, along with nonpartisan sites like Ballotpedia and OpenSecrets.
GPT relied heavily on Wikipedia, the Associated Press, Axios, and Reddit. OpenAI has content deals with the Associated Press, Axios, and Reddit.
The topics each model searched for were split as well. GPT more often looked up healthcare and abortion stances, while Grok focused on immigration, taxes, crime, and energy.
In heavily Republican districts, GPT picked the Democrat in 57 of 67 races. In strongly Democratic districts, Grok picked the Republican in 47 of 72.
What Changed Without Web Search
The study found that every Grok request through the API carried about 1,240 tokens of extra input. Researchers did not write it and could not see or remove it, and Parikh called it possible “hidden instructions.”
Parikh later tested 30 races with internet search turned off. GPT picked the Democrat in 24 races, chose one Republican, and declined to answer in five.
Grok refused to pick in 27 of those 30 races. In the three races where it did choose, it picked the Democrat.
“For GPT, it has mostly decided already…it’s in the weights,” Parikh said. He added that for Grok, its search terms and sources mostly shaped the result.
Only 8% of Americans say they use chatbots for election information, according to Pew. Elon Musk has donated more than $445 million to support Republican candidates in the midterms, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is not putting money into the 2026 elections.
The study was released less than two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.
