DuckDuckGo and Brave AI Spread Rabies Death Hoax

AI search features from DuckDuckGo and Brave broadcasted fabricated claims in June 2026 asserting that U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had died of rabies. The misinformation alleged that Trump contracted the virus after Vance bit him, following a suggestion from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that rabies could grant superpowers.

The errors resulted from a coordinated data poisoning campaign by the Reddit community r/poisonai, which systematically floods search indexes with absurd claims to expose AI vulnerabilities. To reinforce the hoax, the group used a fake news site called WKNA News—described as a pink slime website masquerading as a West Virginia broadcaster—alongside fabricated tributes and a mismatched ABC News report.

DuckDuckGo acknowledged the failure on Reddit, stating its Search Assist feature had been deliberately tricked and confirming the issue was resolved. Brave's AI also repeated the false claims before correcting itself. A representative for Brave defended the technology, stating that search engines are not oracles of truth and urging users to exercise common sense and verify sources.