I asked ChatGPT why Joe Biden feared a “racial jungle” and its response floored me

I’ve never seen a bot backtrack and apologize so many times

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

In doing some research for a different article around racial healing and desegregation, I asked ChatGPT this question:

Why did Joe Biden fear a “racial jungle”?

I asked this question because Biden has been frequently criticized for having used the term in the past, including by his own VP Kamala Harris during the last Democratic presidential primary debates.

I just wanted to better understand the broader context and intent behind Biden’s poorly-worded statement, along with any potential merit they might have held for the dos and dont’s of racial integration efforts.

What procedeed was probably the most confusing and error-ridden that I’ve had so far with the AI bot. It started off by reprimanding me for falling prey to disinformation, claiming that the quote had been used by a different unnamed senator and misattributed to Biden:

ChatGPT: I’m sorry, but the statement you mentioned about Joe Biden fearing a “racial jungle” is not accurate. It appears that you may be referring to a misinterpretation or a misquotation. It’s important to be cautious about relying on such claims without…