Jesse Vincent

I asked the Washington Post’s AI “If a news publication had the slogan “democracy dies in darkness” and changed that slogan when a new authoritarian administration came to power, what would that say about the publication?

The AI did not pull its punches.

Jan 17, 2025 at 3:10amWeb
Show threadLauren P. BurkaJan 17, 2025

@jesse I just cancelled my sub. Still haven't found a new place to get news that I'd be willing to pay for.

The WaPo was my hometown newspaper when I was growing up; I practically learned to read from it.

Show threadtall oneJan 17, 2025
@jesse Not sure an AI can answer "aw shucks you can't take a joke?"
Show threadDB SchweinJan 17, 2025

@jesse

#AltText 1 of 2
The Washington Post
Ask The Post Al
If a news publication had the slogan "Democracy Dies in Darkness" and changed that slogan when a new authoritarian administration came to power, it would suggest that the publication is compromising its values and principles. The slogan "Democracy Dies in Darkness" implies that the publication is committed to shining a light on government actions and holding those in power accountable.

Show threadDB SchweinJan 17, 2025

@jesse

#AltText 2 of 2

Changing the slogan in response to a new authoritarian administration would indicate that the publication is willing to tone down its criticism and scrutiny of the government, potentially undermining its role as a watchdog and champion of democracy.

Show threadK4mpfieJan 17, 2025
@jesse No affront but what exactly did you think the answer would be? This is such a biased question anything but this kind of answer would have been a surprise.
All you showed is that the AI is working as intended and the WP does not have specific content filters for key words.
Congratulations! That was a waste of time, water and energy resources.
Show threadAlan is @cogdog 🇨🇦Jan 17, 2025
@jesse This AI has achieved new levels of self awareness. Hah. Darkness indeed.
Show threadsandywb14Jan 17, 2025
@jesse Actually, not a bad summary. 😂😂😂