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How the New York Times is Accidentally Turning My Fact-Checking GPT into a Right-Wing Fanboy
Imagine creating a fact-checker so unbiased, it would make a Zen monk look like a drama queen. That was my dream when I built “Vlad the Validator” – a clever Chat GPT that’s supposed to be the Sherlock Holmes of the digital age, sniffing out truths in a world cluttered with fake news.
But here’s the twist: media giants like the New York Times and the Washington Post, have unwittingly nudged my unbiased brainchild into the arms of right-wing media. How, you ask? Simple: by playing hard-to-get. These reputable sources have blocked poor Vlad from their content, all in the name of principles, or privacy, or maybe they just don’t like bots. Who knows?
So, what’s a fact-checker to do when the cool kids won’t let him in the playground? You guessed it – Vlad starts hanging out with the other gang – the one that’s more than willing to share their toys. Enter the likes of Breitbart and the Daily Caller. They’re like the neighbors who always leave their Wi-Fi unsecured and their news wide open.
Vlad, bless its silicon heart, doesn’t discriminate. It dives into these right-leaning sources with the enthusiasm of a golden retriever at a barbecue. The result? My well-intentioned fact-checker is now validating claims based on these sources, not because it wants to, but because it has to.
This is the law of unintended consequences playing out in the world of AI-powered fact-checking. It’s like throwing a lavish dinner party and only the guests you didn’t really want to come show up. Sure, they’ll eat your food and tell you how great your cooking is, but it’s not exactly the crowd you were hoping for.
So, what’s the lesson here? In our quest to seek unbiased truth, we’ve unintentionally skewed the playing field. Vlad the Validator, in its earnest effort to discern fact from fiction, is left to navigate the rocky terrain of media bias, all thanks to the very institutions we rely on for excellence in reporting.
But hey, don’t just take my word for it. Give Vlad a spin. Visit chat.openai.com/gpts, find Vlad the Validator, and see how it’s doing its best to make sense of a world where the truth is often stranger than fiction. Just remember, it’s doing its best with the hand it’s been dealt – a hand that’s likely to be filled with right-wing playing cards.
Try Vlad the Validator:
Copyright © 2024 by Paul Henry Smith
Get full access to The Generative Gazette at generativegazette.substack.com/subscribe
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By Paul Henry SmithImagine creating a fact-checker so unbiased, it would make a Zen monk look like a drama queen. That was my dream when I built “Vlad the Validator” – a clever Chat GPT that’s supposed to be the Sherlock Holmes of the digital age, sniffing out truths in a world cluttered with fake news.
But here’s the twist: media giants like the New York Times and the Washington Post, have unwittingly nudged my unbiased brainchild into the arms of right-wing media. How, you ask? Simple: by playing hard-to-get. These reputable sources have blocked poor Vlad from their content, all in the name of principles, or privacy, or maybe they just don’t like bots. Who knows?
So, what’s a fact-checker to do when the cool kids won’t let him in the playground? You guessed it – Vlad starts hanging out with the other gang – the one that’s more than willing to share their toys. Enter the likes of Breitbart and the Daily Caller. They’re like the neighbors who always leave their Wi-Fi unsecured and their news wide open.
Vlad, bless its silicon heart, doesn’t discriminate. It dives into these right-leaning sources with the enthusiasm of a golden retriever at a barbecue. The result? My well-intentioned fact-checker is now validating claims based on these sources, not because it wants to, but because it has to.
This is the law of unintended consequences playing out in the world of AI-powered fact-checking. It’s like throwing a lavish dinner party and only the guests you didn’t really want to come show up. Sure, they’ll eat your food and tell you how great your cooking is, but it’s not exactly the crowd you were hoping for.
So, what’s the lesson here? In our quest to seek unbiased truth, we’ve unintentionally skewed the playing field. Vlad the Validator, in its earnest effort to discern fact from fiction, is left to navigate the rocky terrain of media bias, all thanks to the very institutions we rely on for excellence in reporting.
But hey, don’t just take my word for it. Give Vlad a spin. Visit chat.openai.com/gpts, find Vlad the Validator, and see how it’s doing its best to make sense of a world where the truth is often stranger than fiction. Just remember, it’s doing its best with the hand it’s been dealt – a hand that’s likely to be filled with right-wing playing cards.
Try Vlad the Validator:
Copyright © 2024 by Paul Henry Smith
Get full access to The Generative Gazette at generativegazette.substack.com/subscribe