President Donald Trump launched America.gov this week amid much excitement, aiming to make government information more accessible. He claimed this new artificial intelligence prompt would revolutionise the relationship between citizens and their government, allowing users to find answers to their queries without navigating complex government websites.
“This will be the first point of contact for citizens wanting information about their government and services,” Trump stated during the announcement. “No more tedious searches through endless government websites. Every question can now be answered easily and quickly.”
Despite Trump’s high hopes, the AI prompt quickly faced scrutiny. When The Independent tested it by asking whether Trump won the 2020 election, the response contradicted the former president’s long-held belief that he was the rightful winner. “No,” it stated, “official records show Joseph R. Biden Jr won the 2020 presidential election,” citing the Electoral College results that granted Biden 306 votes to Trump’s 232.
Users received additional resources from the National Archives and the Federal Election Commission, both supporting Biden’s victory. When The Independent inquired if Trump could use taxpayer funds for campaign ads, the AI responded negatively, clarifying that such funds cannot be allocated for political purposes.
By Wednesday morning, the prompt was down, displaying an error message and a humorous image of a child falling while ice skating. CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale noted that while the chatbot was operational again later, it was now providing different responses.
“The Trump administration appears to have altered the AI chatbot so that it no longer debunks Trump’s inaccuracies,” Dale remarked, referencing how it shifted from confirming Biden’s victory to being unable to answer similar questions.
Trump remains an advocate for AI, downplaying fears about its potential risks and instead warning that failure to innovate could allow rivals like China to gain an edge. He suggested renaming AI to “super intelligence” and joked about dubbing media outlets as “artificial news,” following brief media restrictions at the White House.
During the event, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also touted plans for America.gov to allow online passport applications, showcasing a new eagle design as part of this initiative.
