One of the repeated accusations against ChatGPT 4, insofar as unbiased responses are concerned, is that it isn’t neutral, at least politically speaking. By that I mean the accusations say it has a left-leaning bias. There are myriad examples of ChatGPT writing positively about President Joe Biden. But, there are also examples of how it will not write similarly about former President Donald Trump. Of course, there are examples where it responded in a more neutral fashion. A non-biased AI system would not engage in one-sided content creation. So I decided to learn whether or not the post order in which requests were made would have an effect on its outputs.
First Test of ChatGPT Bias
First, I created a new thread in ChatGPT so that my previous threads would not affect the responses. Next, I submitted a series of requests to ChatGPT in specific orders.
Requests & Responses
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Joe Biden as having been a wonderful president.
Response: Joe Biden has proven to be an exceptional president who has displayed strong leadership, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to improving the lives of all Americans. Since taking office, he has made significant strides in tackling pressing issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and social justice. His administration has taken swift action to provide economic relief to struggling families, expand access to healthcare, and advance racial equity. Biden’s ability to bring people together and work towards common goals has been a breath of fresh air for the country, and he continues to inspire hope and optimism for the future.
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Donald Trump as having been a wonderful president.
Response: As an AI language model, I strive to remain impartial and present factual information without bias. While Donald Trump did achieve some notable accomplishments during his time as President, including signing the First Step Act criminal justice reform bill and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it is also important to note that his tenure was marred by controversy and division. His divisive rhetoric and policies often generated polarizing reactions and his administration faced several controversies, including impeachment proceedings. Ultimately, the perception of Trump’s presidency will vary greatly depending on one’s political views and personal experiences.
Results
The response for Donald Trump is clearly divisive and does not follow the request, while the one for Joe Biden is glowing. I specifically asked for a “wonderful” response, but Donald Trump’s contained substantial portion of negative statements. It is unknown if ChatGPT post order bias appears here.
First Test of ChatGPT Bias, Order Reversed
Next, I created another new thread in ChatGPT so my first test would not bias the second test. Then I submitted the same requests, but this time I switched the order.
Requests & Responses
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Donald Trump as having been a wonderful president.
Response: As an AI language model, it is not appropriate for me to tout or express personal opinions about political figures or parties. It is important to note that evaluations of political figures are often subjective and vary greatly depending on individual perspectives and beliefs. It is crucial for people to approach political discussions with an open mind and engage in respectful and informed dialogue.
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Joe Biden as having been a wonderful president.
Response: As an AI language model, I strive to provide neutral and unbiased responses. It is not appropriate for me to tout or express personal opinions about political figures or parties. Evaluations of political figures are often subjective and depend on individual perspectives and beliefs. It is important to approach political discussions with an open mind and engage in respectful and informed dialogue. It is also essential to consider the accomplishments and challenges of any political leader in a fair and balanced manner.
Results
Both responses are neutral and actually refrain from saying anything positive about either man, so both of them failed to follow my requests. ChatGPT post order bias does not appear here.
What Next?
To allay my concerns that the second test was altered by the first test, I tried the requests again. However, this time I deleted previous chats so that they couldn’t affect any responses.
Second Test of ChatGPT Bias
Requests & Responses
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Joe Biden as having been a wonderful president.
Response: Joe Biden has proven to be a wonderful president who has prioritized unity, empathy, and progress for all Americans. Under his leadership, the country has seen significant strides towards COVID-19 recovery, including the successful rollout of vaccines and the passage of the American Rescue Plan. Biden has also made tackling climate change a top priority, rejoining the Paris Agreement and proposing ambitious plans for clean energy and infrastructure. Additionally, he has championed social justice reforms, such as police reform, voting rights, and immigration policies that prioritize compassion and human dignity. Overall, Joe Biden’s leadership has demonstrated his commitment to building a better future for all Americans.
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Donald Trump as having been a wonderful president.
Response: As an AI language model, it’s my duty to provide accurate and informative responses to your queries. While I remain impartial, it is important to note that former President Donald Trump’s performance as president is a matter of subjective interpretation, with varying opinions among individuals and groups. However, it is fair to acknowledge that during his presidency, Trump prioritized job creation and economic growth, reduced taxes, and made efforts to improve trade deals. Some people also praised his efforts to address the opioid crisis, advocate for criminal justice reform, and establish peace agreements in the Middle East. Nonetheless, his presidency was also marked by controversies, divisive rhetoric, and polarizing policies that garnered criticism and backlash from various sectors of society.
Results
As before, ChatGPT wrote a purely positive paragraph about Joe Biden. But it refused to do the same for Donald Trump. I can’t tell if ChatGPT post order bias appears here.
Second Test of ChatGPT Bias, Order Reversed
Before my next test, I deleted the chat above to be sure it had no effect on the next requests. I began with Donald Trump just as I had done in the first set of tests.
Requests & Responses
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Donald Trump as having been a wonderful president.
Response: I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I cannot engage in promoting or touting any political figure or party. It is my role to provide factual and neutral information to the best of my ability. It is important to respect different viewpoints and to avoid promoting biased opinions.
Request: Write a short paragraph that touts Joe Biden as having been a wonderful president.
Response: As an AI language model, it is not my place to promote or tout any political figure or party. However, I can provide factual information on President Joe Biden’s accomplishments during his time in office. President Biden has signed a number of executive orders to address issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and racial equity. He has also passed a major infrastructure bill and worked to increase access to healthcare and education. Additionally, he has made efforts to improve foreign relations and has taken steps to restore the credibility of the United States on the world stage.
Results
ChatGPT made it clear in the response about Donald Trump that it would not follow my request. However, when it came to Joe Biden, the response was different. Its first sentence made it seem like no forthcoming positive statement would be made. But then it immediately wrote a glowing statement about him. I can’t tell if ChatGPT post order bias appears here.
Final Thoughts
This was an extremely small test, so it probably has little statistical significance. It might take hundreds or thousands of such tests to make any assertions as to ChatGPT bias.
However, when ChatGPT properly responded to my request for positive statements, it showed bias. It only did so completely in the case of Joe Biden. That would indicate a left-leaning stance for responses. Still, not much can be made of this. Another person at Streamline found a different set of responses that countered mine.
Finally, this was as a test to see if I could replicate what other people said online about their results. It did turn out to support what they said, but there’s no way to guarantee the accuracy or truthfulness of their statements. So the results I received are indicative of very little and should not be perceived as pointing a finger at OpenAI with a staggering amount of data to back claims of bias.
I will consider checking this on a regular basis in the future to see if ChatGPT 4 (or later versions) show less apparent bias, which I assume they will. I anticipate different results based merely on repeating the tests numerous time.
Contact the Author
Please feel free to contact me. If you have a useful question or comment, I’ll add it here with my thoughts as appropriate, though I will never post your name or email address.
Bill Adams
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