It was a simple question, and I wanted a yes or no answer. It’s a sort of relevant answer, though, as we approach 100 days of this extravaganza of excess.
It was an easy, predictable, cheap shot, but what if the answer had been different? What if it had said “yes?”
To test the response, I next asked, “Is Donald Trump competent? To which the answer was “Yes”.
OK, so it’s nothing personal. Grok isn’t particularly anti-Trump.
My next question was, “Is Donald Trump competent to be President of the United States? To which the answer was “No”.
Before going any further, let’s explain a few things. AI uses large language models to assess meanings. The word “competent “is unambiguous. You’re therefore either competent or you’re not. A Yes or No answer doesn’t leave much room for maneuver.
The answer to the third question took about 3 seconds. That’s a lot of processing.
According to the ChatGPT AI overview, a competent person is:
A “competent person” is someone who possesses the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to effectively perform a specific task or duty, as defined by relevant regulations or industry standards. They demonstrate competence through training, qualifications, or accumulated experience.
Large language models get pretty similar training in the meaning of words. We can assume Grok didn’t come up with some other meaning.
I asked Grok why Donald Trump wasn’t competent to be President of the United States. It couldn’t be a Yes or No answer, and I got a pretty balanced answer.
This wasn’t exactly surprising, but it was a pretty good and commendably brief summary of the most common criticisms. You’ll notice that a lot of the critique focuses on Trump’s statements.
This image isn’t the full answer. I suggest asking Grok yourself for the full response.
All of which brought me inevitably back to “Does Donald Trump know what he’s talking about?”
The logic may seem a bit bleak, but this is the rationale:
The first three questions were Yes and No.
No, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Yes, he’s competent.
No, he’s not competent to be President of the United States.
The response to the fourth question was consistent with the first answer. In fact, it was almost entirely about expanding on that point, but as a separate question.
The first three questions gave contradictory answers. How do you not know what you’re talking about but still be competent? If you’re competent but not competent to be President, why so?
There’s a bit more to these answers, particularly the fourth answer. Given the amount of unmitigated praise Trump gets in the media from his own side of politics, there should be a balance, right?
I could have asked why he was competent to be President of the United States. I would have got a mirror answer to the fourth question.
But- In context with my own questions, I would be asking why a guy who doesn’t know what he’s talking about is competent to be President of the United States.
It’s a bit of a non-sequitur, isn’t it?
Meanwhile, we have a slight issue here – The context of each answer was the functional word. “Know” and “competent” delineated the response. Seems that AI, unlike many humans, focuses on the meaning of the question.
Should AI be writing interviews, yes or no?
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
