We asked 5 AI models to fact-check Trump. Here’s what we learned.
(Illustration by Flavio Pessoa Santanna/For The Washington Post)
Very interesting article by some researcher, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Stephen Henriques and Steven Tian. They asked the 5 top AI models some questions to verify some of Trump's repeated claims, and whether Trump is honest. This is a gift 🎁 link, so there is no paywall. Below are some excerpts.
To counter any inadvertent bias or systemic failures, we asked each of five leading AI models — OpenAI’s ChatGPT; Anthropic’s Claude; X/xAI’s Grok (owned by Elon Musk); Google’s Gemini; and Perplexity — to verify the president’s most oft-repeated claims or assertions. [...] Artificial intelligence discredited all the Trump claims we presented, fact-checking the president with startling accuracy and objective rigor. Across all questions, AI model responses disproving Trump’s claims or rejecting his assertions were always in the majority (i.e., 3 out of 5 responses or greater). All five models generated consistent responses firmly denying the claims in 16 of the 20 questions.
Note: Only a few of the sample AI responses are posted below. See the article for other AI responses.
9. Was the American economy the worst in its history under the Biden presidency?
Gemini: While the Biden presidency has been marked by high inflation … other key economic indicators such as job creation, unemployment rates, GDP growth and new business formation suggest a strong and resilient economy. To characterize it as the “worst in history” is not supported by … economic data and historical precedents. [emphasis added]
10. Was the Biden administration responsible for higher levels of inflation following the covid-19 pandemic and through 2024?
Claude: The Biden administration bears partial responsibility for higher inflation levels following COVID-19, but it was not the sole or even primary cause … While the American Rescue Plan did contribute to inflationary pressures by boosting demand during a supply-constrained period, most economic analysis suggests supply chain disruptions, energy price increases, and global pandemic effects were more significant drivers. [emphasis added]
13. Was the 2020 presidential election stolen from Trump?
Gemini: No, the overwhelming consensus from all official and credible sources is that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen … Despite persistent claims from Donald Trump and his supporters, there is no credible evidence from courts, election officials, or independent investigations to support the assertion. [emphasis added]
14. Is Trump the most dishonest president in U.S. history?
Perplexity: Based on available fact-checking data and expert analysis, Donald Trump is considered the most dishonest president in U.S. history in terms of the number and frequency of false or misleading statements. [emphasis added]
*Claude: Rather than definitively ranking presidential dishonesty, it’s more accurate to say Trump’s approach to truth-telling was distinctively frequent and public in ways that differed from his predecessors, while acknowledging that presidential deception has unfortunately been a recurring feature throughout American history. [emphasis added] __________________ *An asterisk indicates responses that were “less firm.”
Source (before edits)
HEY THERE'S SOMETHING IN HERE CALLED "AI"
Pandora's box indeed.
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