Bernie Sanders' AI 'gotcha' video flops, but the memes are great | TechCrunch

In a new viral video, Senator Bernie Sanders attempted to expose how the AI industry is a threat to Americans’ privacy, but ended up demonstrating how AI chatbots’ tendency to agree with and flatter their users can lead the chatbots themselves to become a mirror of users’ own beliefs rather than a tool for discovery. We’ve seen this problem before amid the growing number of people afflicted by “AI psychosis,” which is when an AI chatbot reinforces a mentally unstable person’s irrational thoughts and beliefs. In some cases, this dark pattern has even led users to take their own lives, several lawsuits allege. In Sanders’ case, the AI’s sycophancy manifested as an AI chatbot that shaped its answers to suit the politician. It’s worth noting that the interview begins with Sanders introducing himself to Claude (which he mistakenly refers to as an AI “agent”) — a move that could help influence the chatbot’s answers. Then, as Sanders asks questions about AI companies’ data-collection practices and other privacy concerns, Claude agreeably responds with what the politician wants to hear. In part, that’s because of the way Sanders frames his questions, asking things like, “What would surprise the American people in terms of knowing how that information is collected?” or “How can we trust AI companies will protect our privacy when they use people’s personal information to make money?” These leading questions force the chatbot to accept the question’s premise and come up with a fittin...