ChatGPT Misrepresents the Founders

And it’s not alone in doing so!

The backside of the $2 bill — image by melkiu via DepositPhotos.com

This evening, I was putting together a little quiz on American history — all part of a personal project. As part of that project, I asked ChatGPT the following: “What are 10 facts most people don’t know about the Founding Fathers?”

Some of the answers ChatGPT gave were good, such as…

• Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury, was born in the British West Indies and did not come to the United States until he was 17 years old.
• John Adams, the second President of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson, the third President, both died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
• Benjamin Franklin was a prolific inventor and held numerous patents, including for the lightning rod, bifocal glasses, and the Franklin stove.
• James Madison, who is often called the “Father of the Constitution,” was the shortest president in U.S. history, standing at just 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Not bad. A couple of the other facts were more opinions or observations, but still…not bad.

Not bad, that is, except for this…